The Request
by redhead414
Summary: Astoria was never a fan of Hermione Granger, but pretty soon, she would be gone, and Draco was going to need all the help he could get. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**_Ok - so I'm sure those of you who are reading my other two WIPs are going "WHAT - WORK ON THE OTHER ONES!" Which I'm doing - I swear. I just had another random idea pop into my head while running on the treadmill tonight, and well, an entirely different D/H story came to mind. _**

_**Hopefully it peaks your interest just as the other stories have!**_

* * *

><p>"No, no! We don't hit the kitty, Scorpius! We pet the kitty! See!" Hermione knelt down and grabbed Scorpius' wrist gently, moving his small arm slowly as she helped him pet the untamed orange hair of her cat, Crookshanks, as he continued to stay perched upon the ottoman in front of the large leather char. "Be nice to the kitty," she repeated gently, still helping him move his arm.<p>

"Nice kitty!" two-year-old Scorpius whispered with a grin.

Carefully, she let his arm go and watched as he repeated the motion, repeating _nice kitty_ with each stroke. Looking over her shoulder, she saw thirteen-year-old Anya looking unamused as she sat on the matching couch, mindlessly clicking through the television channels on the flat-screen in Hermione's condo in downtown London. "Are you hungry? I could fix you something," she said as she used the elastic around her wrist to tie up her long, curly brown locks into a messy bun high on her head.

"I'm fine," Anya snapped, her thumb still clicking away as she surfed the channels.

As Hermione stood up from the floor, she heard the girl mutter under her breath. "Excuse me - what did you say?"

Scowling, Anya threw the remote onto the couch and hugged her arms to her chest. "I _said_ that I don't want to_ be_ here. I _want_ to be with my mother! I'm sick and tired of being treated like a child!"

Hermione silently nodded, and quite honestly didn't blame the poor girl. If she were in Anya's shoes, she would have wanted to be with her mum as well. Butunfortunately, that wasn't a part of the plan. Sighing, Hermione watched as Anya stared back, a spitting image of her mother with her long black locks and almond shaped eyes. "I'm sorry," Hermione spoke quietly. "But this is what your father wanted and you know how he is."

"You don't need to tell me how he is because I _know_ how he is! I _know_ what he says!" Anya screeched. "And I _don't_ care!"

A tow headed girl appeared from the hallway, carrying a handful of Barbies. Claire was six, and everyone always remarked about how much she resembled her late grandmother. "Why is Anya yelling?"

"She isn't," Hermione quickly replied, keeping one eye on the eldest. "She was just…voicing her opinion. Loudly."

Claire pursed her lips together as she pondered Hermione's words. "I think that's the same thing as yelling, Hermione."

She walked over to the little girl, bending down to drop a kiss on the top of her head, currently sporting two braided pigtails thanks to Hermione upon the children's arrival that morning. "What can I say…you're just too smart for me, Claire Bear."

"I know," she replied with a grin, before turning back around and heading towards the spare bedroom where the toys were kept. Hermione's condo wasn't exactly kid friendly, but it had acquired more kid friendly things over the past year, such as her old Barbie dolls she pulled from her parents attic this past summer.

She felt a tug on her hand. Turning around, Scorpius held up one of the toy cars she picked up at the supermarket last week. It was nothing special - just a small thing that she figured could amuse him when he was at her place. Last time the kids where at her place, Scorpius was running around with a Barbie in each hand and while Draco might not have known what a Barbie was - all he needed to know was it was a doll, and Malfoy men did not play with dolls.

"Car?" Scorpius said with a smile.

"Yes baby, it's a car," she said, lifting him up as she perched him on her hip.

"Car!" he exclaimed, driving the little wheels up and down her shoulder. "YaYa - car!"

Anya's frosty demeanor thawed as she looked at her little brother and his muggle toys. "Can you make a car noise?" she asked, taking a small step towards Hermione.

"Vroom!" Scorpius said with a squeal before he buzzed his lips together, using Hermione's shoulder and upper arm as his track. She ruffled his thick head of blond hair and nuzzled at his nose before pressing a kiss to his forehead. Looking back at Anya, she tilted her head to the side and opened her free arm. Anya was hesitant at first, but before Hermione could blink she felt the young teenage girl latch onto her, burying her face in the crook of Hermione's neck. Hugging her back as tightly as she could with one arm, Hermione kissed the top of her head and sighed. "I will talk to your father and see if he'll change his mind."

Anya sniffled, still hugging Hermione. "He won't. You know he won't."

"He might," Hermione offered. Of course, she might have to beat him into saying yes, but she wasn't going to tell Anya that. As Anya let go, Hermione passed the littlest Malfoy to his big sister and kissed the girl's temple. "I'm going to make lunch. Please keep an eye on him, ok?"

Anya nodded, holding Scorpius carefully. "Hermione I'm -"

She shook her head, cutting Anya's apology off. "You're fine, sweetheart. Your father should be back in a bit."

Inside the kitchen, Hermione opened the fridge and leaned into it for a moment, using the door to hide her face from the adjoining living room. Cursing Draco in her mind, her eyes scanned the contents of the appliance, looking for something the three of them would eat. Eventually she settled on grilled cheese sandwiches for the girls, and a hotdog for Scorpius. The child only ate hotdogs as of late - much to Draco's dismay.

"_You can't find 'hotdogs' in a wizarding grocer. I have to into a muggle store to find them and it's entirely your fault, Granger." _

_Hermione peered up from her desk at the Ministry in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She'd recently took over the Improper Use of Magic Office once Ms. Hopkirk retired, but only after she was assured by Minister Shacklebolt that the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures would be left in good hands - those hands being those of Luna Lovegood. Draco plopped down in the chair in front of her, looking stressed out and exhausted, though that was his general mode of operation as of late. _

"_It's all he would eat," Hermione plainly replied as she went back to her briefing memo. "Why argue with someone who has a ten word vocabulary when you can make something that you know he will eat with zero complaint?" _

"_I'm just saying, it's irritating."_

"_I'm just saying," she mimicked, looking up as she peered over the memo. "That this is what happens when you leave your children in my care for prolonged periods of time." _

"Hermione?"

"Yes Claire?" she answered, setting her grilled cheese and chips on a plate in front of her at the table in her small kitchen.

"After lunch," the little girl asked with a mouthful of chips. "Can we make Mummy some pictures to hang in her room?"

Hermione nodded at Claire as she handed Anya her place. "I'm sure I have some colors around here somewhere. And if not - we can go to the store ok?" Picking Scorpius off the ground, as he'd been following her all around the kitchen the moment she summoned the kids for lunch, she placed him in his booster seat and buckled the safety strap over his lap before pushing him up to the table. "It's a hotdog!" she exclaimed, placing the plastic blue plate and spork in front of him.

Scorpius clapped and kicked his feet. "Hot hog!"

"_Dog_," Claire said, exaggerating the word to her brother.

"_Hog," _Scorpius mimicked, stabbing one of the small pieces with his plastic spork.

Claire shook her head, her two blond braids flipping back and forth. "He's never going to learn."

"He'll learn," Hermione reassured his sister with a soothing rub on her back. "Make sure you blow on your sandwich - you don't the cheese burning the roof of your mouth."

Sitting in the empty chair between Scorpius and Claire, she looked at Anya who was picking at her chips. "Your dad says you haven't eaten much lately, but you do need to eat."

Anya looked down at her plate as she gave Hermione a small nod. Hermione did her best to focus on making sure Scorpius was actually getting pieces of hotdog into his mouth while keeping an inconspicuous eye on Anya. She wished Draco would get back soon, though in the same respect, the sooner he came back the sooner he would have news. But by all accounts both wizard and muggle alike - the expectations were not to be set high. In fact, the only expectation given was one that she knew he would refuse to accept.

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><p>Draco sat with Astoria inside a patient room at St. Mungo's, holding her hand as she ran her thumb gently across his knuckles. He felt guilty, allowing a dying woman to comfort him when he the roles should have been reversed. But as the healer reviewed the documents they brought with them from the muggle physician they saw the day before Draco chose to be selfish and allow his wife to comfort him. He was certain he was being punished for his misgivings. What other explanation was there?<p>

Astoria had been at St. Mungo's since the day after Christmas after a bad spell caused her to faint. She also managed to break her arm in the process, but luckily a dose of skele-gro was able to solve _that_ problem.

"Mister Malfoy, do you understand what I'm saying?"

His head snapped upright at the sound of Healer Nelson speaking to him. "I uh, yeah, no. Sorry. I honestly didn't hear a word you said."

Healer Nelson's shoulders dropped slightly as he looked at the man. "I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do for your wife. We can give her potions to make her comfortable, though muggle medicine might be stronger. We can leave that decision up to you. But…the best case scenario is six months."

"Nothing?" Draco said, appalled at the answer given to him. "All of the _money_ and _time_ we have spent and you're saying there's _nothing_ we can do for her? My children need her! She's their mother!"

Astoria lightly squeezed his hand. "Draco…"

"I've poured so much goddamn money into this facility - I practically financed an entire wing of this godforsaken place and you're telling _me_ that you _cannot do anything_?"

"Mister Malfoy -"

"It's preposterous! A bloody outrage!"

"Draco!" Astoria exclaimed, the strength and strain of her voice catching her husband's ear. He immediately turned around and she gave him a sympathetic look. He was fuming on the inside, but the look on his wife's face prevented him from saying anything else. She looked over at the healer and gave him a small nod. "So does this mean I'm stuck here until…"

Healer Nelson shook his head. "We can make arrangements at a hospice facility, or we can make you comfortable at home and assign a rotating nursing staff if you wish."

Draco looked at his wife. "You're coming home."

"Draco I will be fine at my place."

"No - you're coming home."

"I'm sorry," Healer Nelson interjected quite cautiously. "Do you two…do you not live together?"

Draco looked back at the Healer, his lips pursed as he glared. "Is it any of your fucking business? No. I don't think it is."

"It's complicated," Astoria said to the healer, giving her husband a look. "But if my husband wishes for me to move back home with him, then can we please process paperwork immediately? I'd like to be with my children."

"Certainly," Healer Nelson said. "I'll get everything ready - we'll release you tomorrow morning."

"Tonight," Draco said, his voice wavering just a bit as he spoke. "She's leaving tonight."

"Yes…um, right. I'll make sure we make that happen, Mister Malfoy."

As the healer left the room, Draco collapsed into the chair he had initially been sitting in, both of his hands now holding onto Astoria's. He heard her laugh slightly as she squeezed his hand. Looking up at her, he frowned. "This isn't funny. What could you possibly be laughing at?"

Astoria continued to laugh as she shook her head. "Everything, Draco."

_Sitting in his office, Draco poured over case notes written up by two Junior Aurors from Potter's team regarding a raid outside of London when he heard the familiar tapping of fingernails against the doorframe. _

"_My lawyer is under strict orders from my parents not to draw up divorce papers," Astoria said with a snort as she leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed against her chest as she looked as regal as always with her hair pulled back, wearing a simple grey dress with a short hem and long sleeves. _

_Draco put down his report and pulled open his desk drawer, grabbing a folder to extend in Astoria's direction. "Lucky for me - I'm in charge of my family. Therefore my lawyer can't tell me what to do." _

_She walked inside of his office and took a seat across from him, primly crossing one leg over the other. She opened up the folder and scanned through the terms. When she saw the amount of money he wrote down in terms of alimony and child support, she quickly closed the folder, her eyes wide yet she said nothing. It was too much by any stretch of the imagination, but with what she was about to tell him, none of what was in her hand was going to matter._

_Astoria sat back in her chair, holding the folder firmly against her lap. "Draco?" _

"_Hmm?" He'd gone back to reviewing the case report in his hand. _

"_I went to the healer yesterday morning after I dropped Claire and Scorpius off at my parents' house._

_Draco nodded as he continued to read, flipping to the next page. "Did you need to go the healer to have the pain in your ass removed? Because I thought that was the point of the divorce." _

_She laughed as he smirked, looking up from his report. Their marriage hadn't been working for quite sometime, and in a final attempt to save it, they had another child, which finally gave the Malfoy family an heir. It did not, however, save their marriage. It only exacerbated the issues between them. Of course, their marriage wasn't one out of love anyway - it had been arranged at birth. But neither of them wanted to remain miserable, so they worked together on having an amicable divorce and along the way, the two managed to become friends. _

"_Yes, well, aside from the pain in my ass that is you, I thought I was pregnant." _

_He paled at her words. "Astoria - if you're pregnant I swear -"_

"_I've felt like hell these past few weeks and exhausted to no end," she continued on. "I wasn't nearly this tired after Anya or Claire, so I went to the healer and prayed to Merlin I wasn't pregnant. Believe me - I prayed harder than I'd ever prayed before. That it was just exhaustion or something. Anything but a pregnancy." _

_Draco put down the folder and looked at his wife. "And?"_

_She laughed. "Merlin - the look on your face is nothing short of brilliant, Draco Malfoy. When was the last time either one of us slept in the same bed, let alone had sex? Because once I gave that a good thought, I realized it was impossible." _

_He thought about this for a moment, but it didn't lessen the thumping inside of his chest. "So…you're not pregnant." _

"_Definitely not pregnant." _

"_Then why am I sensing a 'but'?"_

"_Because it's cancer."_

"Stop it," Draco demanded, squeezing his eyes shut momentarily as he spoke. She continued to laugh, much to his chagrin and only when he looked up at her with his red eyes did she manage to collect herself. "This isn't funny, Tori."

Astoria sighed, her free hand pulling the multi-print scarf that was wrapped around her head down a bit at the nape of her neck. "Believe me, Draco, I know." She let go of his hand as he stood up, leaning over her bed with an arm braced against the railing. He lightly kissed her forehead before resting his against hers. "Where are the children?"

"With Granger."

She relaxed a little bit. While she wasn't Hermione Granger's biggest fan, she was better than the alternative - which included her parents, his father, and her older sister, Daphne. Astoria was a first hand witness to the evolving friendship between Draco and Hermione from the moment she transferred to his department four years ago, their offices next door to each other. While her name alone was a main source of tension during their marriage, Astoria knew that indirectly, Hermione was consistently making her husband a better person.

"You should go check on the children. I'm sure Anya is still furious with you."

"She'll live," he groused, and immediately regretted his phrase.

Astoria brushed his cheek with her hand. "They aren't going to have me ready to check out for a few hours and I'm tired. Let me take a nap so I can be awake for a bit when you bring the children home."

He bit his lips together, shaking his head. "I'll stay."

"Go," she whispered. "You'll need to talk to Anya and Claire, anyway. Have Hermione help you if need be. Merlin knows you have no tact."

Draco choked out a laugh as he wiped the cuff of his shirt against his cheek, removing the evidence of tears shed. "I have plenty of tact, Astoria."

"You don't, but we can argue about it later," Astoria replied, covering her mouth as she yawned. "Go. Check on the children. I'll have them send an owl when I'm ready."

Draco nodded, swallowing hard as he regained his composure. "Right. I'll let them know to notify me immediately."

"I'm sure you will," she said as he pulled the covers of her blanket up to her chin.

"Don't mock me," he warned softly.

"Would never dream of it," Astoria replied through another yawn.

He stood over her, watching for a few minutes until Draco was certain she was asleep. Carefully, he left her room, leaving explicit instructions with the nursing station for them to notify him with in thirty minutes of her check out time. Draco's tone was less than kind as he spoke with a snarl, but the nurses were understanding, nodding while writing down his directions verbatim. After all, he wasn't the first husband they'd dealt with who was told there was nothing left to do for their wife, and he certainly wouldn't be the last.

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><p>"Stop fidgeting."<p>

"I'm not fidgeting, Hermione."

Hermione pointed at the little girl's hands as they were pressed into the table, fingers spread apart. "Look," she said, pointing to the twitch. "That right there - that's fidgeting. Do you want to wear the nail polish all over your fingers or just the fingernails?"

Claire inhaled sharply and sighed. "Ok. I'm going to be super still starting…now."

Hermione eyed her for a minute, and gave her a quick wink before she continued painting her nails with the glittered pink polish. Scorpius was taking a nap in her spare room, having transfigured the sofa inside into a toddler bed with rails, and Anya was lying on the couch, blowing on her freshly painted nails while she wiggled her toes a bit as the cotton spacers between them were beginning to itch. Next to Hermione and Claire on the table were pictures that Claire and Scorpius drew for Astoria. Scorpius' of course was more random scribbles and Hermione was pretty sure there was more crayon on her table than on the paper, but she hoped that Astoria would like them all the same.

As Hermione finished the final finger on Claire's hands, she took her wand out and cast a quick drying spell so that they wouldn't smudge. "There you go, Claire Bear," she said, screwing the lid back onto the polish bottle.

Holding her hands out to admire Hermione's work, she wiggled her fingers as the light glistened against the glitter. "They…look…awesome!" She leapt out of her chair and gave Hermione a big hug. "I can't wait to show Daddy!"

The moment 'Daddy' escaped Claire's lips, the sound of the floo igniting in the study alerted the three girls in the front of the condo. Seconds later, Draco appeared, looking worse for the wear in Hermione's opinion, but he had a smile on his face as he removed his coat. "Can't wait to show me what?" he asked, squatting down to her level.

Claire thrust her hands into his face proudly. "Look how fancy my nails are!" she exclaimed. "Did you know muggles painted their nails?"

Draco laughed, shaking his head. "My mother-in-law is going to freak when she sees this."

"Well then let's hope she doesn't see them until Anya goes back to Hogwarts for spring term," Hermione replied. "Because she has it on her fingernails and toenails."

Claire wrapped her arms around Draco's neck as he stood upright, picking her up in the process. Hugging her tight, he walked over to the sofa and saw Anya staring at the telly, refusing to look at him. "Still pissed?" he asked.

"Yep."

"Are you going to get over it sometime today?"

"Nope," she replied, popping the 'p' with her lips.

Draco sighed, his nerves close to being shot. "Anya, I need to have a proper discussion with you, and if you wish to be treated like an adult then I will insist that you behave like one."

"Draco!" Hermione hissed, glaring at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Watch your tone!"

"Don't tell me to watch my tone with my own child, Granger."

"Watch. Your. Tone." Hermione reiterated slowly. "Don't lecture her about acting like an adult when you aren't acting much better. She's only thirteen. What's your excuse?"

He did his best to match her glare, but couldn't. Draco had nothing left in him. Kissing Claire on the cheek, he set her down on the couch with Anya and Hermione motioned for him to follow her back to her study so that they could speak in private. Shutting the door as she followed him inside, Hermione threw a silencing charm around the room and pocketed her wand.

"She's coming home," Draco said, raking his fingers through his hair roughly.

"Home? As in home - home?"

"Yes."

Hermione clapped a hand over her heart. This was the worst-case scenario she feared, not only for the kids but for Draco as well. "How long?"

He began moving his arms up and down, his fingers rigid as his breathing quickened, with each gasp heavier than the last. "Six months," Draco managed to say, the emotions he'd been trying to suppress for the past year bubbling to the surface with no way of stopping them. "She's dying," he gasped. "She's dying and my children – what am I going to do, Granger? I can't – I can't raise three kids – I can't do this alone!"

She quickly embraced him before he collapsed to the floor, somehow bearing the burden of his weight as he slumped against her petite frame, his arms wrapped around her as he choked out a sob. "Draco," she whispered in his ear, her hands rubbing up and down the length of his back. "Draco it's going to be ok."

"My children are about to lose their fucking mother, Granger!" he spat. "How is any of this ok!"

"I honestly don't know," Hermione replied, refusing to raise her voice. "How is she doing?"

Sniffling, Draco let go of Hermione, wiping his eyes once again as his emotions continued to betray him. "She's napping. They're working on getting her checked out, setting up a schedule for round the clock nurses to care for her. I need to talk to Anya and see if she wants to go back to Hogwarts or choose to be tutored at home for the remainder of the year."

Hermione nodded, making a mental list of everything Draco continued to rattle off, knowing full well he wouldn't remember it twenty minutes from now. "Anya has a week before term begins again," Hermione said, speaking calmly and rationally as he finally took a breath. "We can notify McGonagall and let her know of the situation, and make a decision later this week."

Draco nodded, clearing his throat as he wiped his eyes a final time. "Yes. That sounds like a decent enough plan."

"Decent?" Hermione questioned, nudging his face up with a slight tilt of his chin.

Rolling his eyes, he let out a small laugh. "Your plans are always more than 'decent,' Granger."

"That's better," she lightly replied. Reaching out to him, she rubbed a hand up and down his arm. "Do you want me to get Anya?"

"In a minute," he said, collecting his thoughts. "She and I had it out right before I came over with the children this morning. That child will be the end of me - mark my words, Granger."

Hermione shook her head. "She's scared, Draco. It's ok if she sees that you're scared too. It might make her feel…better, even."

"I was a mess at St. Mungo's, Granger," he said, sitting down on the edge of her desk. "I screamed at the Healer, I bellowed at a handful of nurses for no reason, and I cried like a child. I wasn't taking my daughter there to witness a breakdown," he spat, picking up one of the baubles off of Hermione's desk. "I should have been comforting Astoria, and she wound up comforting me."

Hermione nodded. "Astoria's a strong woman."

"I'm aware," Draco replied. "She's a hell of a lot stronger than I ever gave her credit for." He put the bauble back down on her desk, having no unearthly idea as to why she had several, heavy glass balls on her desk with flat bottoms. "The divorce was her idea, you know. Not that I didn't want it - we were fucking miserable together. I just didn't know how to go about it."

She didn't know what to say, so instead, she let him ramble for a few moments. As he picked up the same bauble again, he tossed it back and forth between his hands. "It's a paperweight," she said, reading the puzzled look on his face.

Draco looked up at her, extending his hand a bit so he could take a better look. "What on earth is its purpose?"

"I don't know…to keep papers from flying around I guess. My nana collected them. Those were hers, actually."

He put it back down again. "Muggles are so…weird."

She could tell he was now avoiding what he needed to do, because he was willingly discussing and thinking about random muggle artifacts. "Draco," she said quietly.

Sighing, Draco dragged a hand through his hair once more. "Will you…will you stay in here when I tell her?"

"Do you want to tell the girls at the same time, or individually?"

Draco wasn't sure. On one hand, he had no idea how Anya would react. She was his wild card, with her mother's looks and his awful temperament. Clara was the complete opposite, looking like a Malfoy but with a calmer, sweeter disposition. Merlin only knew what was in store for Scorpius, because all that was known at the moment was that he loved to play with the toy cars Hermione brought him and he loved to eat weird muggle food - like hotdogs. For the most part he was good-natured, but he had his moments where the Malfoy temper would make its presence known. Draco hoped that his son would eventually become an even blend of both him and Astoria, but only time would tell.

Telling Anya alone gave her more of an opportunity to lose her composure. Telling Anya with Claire in the room would give her some presence of mind to keep it together so that she didn't frighten her sister.

"What do you think?" Draco asked, locking eyes with the witch in front of him.

Hermione steeled her nerves and let her arms hang loosely at her sides. "Let's tell them together, and afterward, you and Anya can chat while I talk to Claire. How does that sound?"

He nodded, exhaling heavily. "Will you get them for me?"

"Certainly."

As Draco watched Hermione lift the charm from the room and leave, he braced his hands against the edge of her desk as he looked down at his feet. He was certain when he told his daughters that their mother was sick, it would be the hardest conversation he'd ever have to have with his children. But now he had to tell them that she wasn't going to get any better. That all the promises he made that Mummy would get better, and the time he and Astoria spent this last year between the wizard and muggle medical communities hadn't made one bit of difference.

But none of that mattered at this point. All that mattered is that he had to find a way in the next thirty seconds to tell his daughters that their mother was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Right...so it was my intention to update my other two stories BUT I'm an idiot and worked on them during my downtime at work (shh, don't tell!) and forgot to bring the flash drive home. I'll have updates for BAL and SMWILF at the beginning of the week, so in the meantime, thanks to everyone that commented on this story (I was shocked so many liked it) and hopefully you enjoy the new chapter!  
><em>**

* * *

><p>"I don't believe you."<p>

Draco swallowed hard as he stared at his eldest, recognizing the defiant look on her face. His wife was right - he had no tact - and it wasn't but more than five seconds after Hermione had the two girls sit on the sofa, one on each side of her, when he looked at them and said, "Your mother is coming back to the house - there's nothing else they can do for her." Hermione scowled at him, clearly unimpressed at the way he delivered the news, and as his eldest leapt to her feet, he was suddenly grateful she wasn't of age to use magic outside of Hogwarts, as the conversation was not happening as he had initially hoped it would.

"They've done everything," Draco said, doing his best to keep his voice steady and even. "Your mum was too sick by the time she found out for any of the medicines or potions to have a real effect."

"But you said they could fix this!" Anya exclaimed as a tear streamed down each cheek. "You said she would get better!"

Draco knew what he said. Those words had been haunting him since he left the hospital, words he never should have spoken. But it was too late to go back. "Anya, believe me - if I could have changed the outcome of this I would have."

"Would you?" she asked with a bitter tone. "You're only together because she's sick. You only stuck around because it looks bad to divorce a dying woman!"

"Anya Katherine Malfoy!" Hermione exclaimed as the raven-haired girl whipped her head around. Draco looked as if he'd been slapped, and Claire silently sobbed as she leaned into Hermione's chest. Anya sniffled, and Hermione could see by the look on the girl's face that she regretted her harsh words. "Apologize to your father," she said, soft but firm.

Anya bit her lip and sniffled, looking as if she was tearing in two. Turning around, she looked at her father as her shoulders began to tremble. "Daddy I'm -"

Sobs overcame her before she could get out the 'sorry,' and Draco responded by pulling her into a fierce embrace, stroking her long locks over and over again as his daughter soaked his chest with her tears. He looked over at Hermione as she picked Claire up and held his youngest daughter in her lap, rocking back and forth slowly as she softly stroked her back with an open hand.

Claire sniffled, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her arm. "I don't want Mummy to die," she said with a quivering voice.

Hermione kissed the top of her head and hugged her close. "I know, Claire Bear. I know."

Anya looked up at her father with her dark brown eyes. "Will she…will she be ok at home?"

Draco nodded, brushing away one of her tears with his thumb. "We'll have nurses in the house when the time comes. The healer will give her medicine to make her comfortable."

Nodding, Anya wiped a few more tears before they could fall down her cheeks. "When will she come home?"

"They should have everything ready in a few hours," Draco replied. "St. Mungo's will send an owl when she is ready. She's taking a nap right now." All of his sentences had been short and punctuated, as if he was purposefully just saying nothing more than he needed to so that he could keep it together. He might have sounded a bit short, but he didn't care what Hermione said about showing his children some emotion. He physically couldn't stomach the thought of his daughters seeing him break down.

He watched as Anya let go of him and retreated back to Hermione, who opened up her free arm as she curled up on the couch, resting her head on her shoulder as she tucked her legs up underneath her bottom. Hermione kissed her forehead, rubbing her arm as Anya cried. Draco looked at Hermione, his shoulders dropped, and she stared back. Draco had never met anyone would be reassuring with just a look before he befriended the girl he spent a previous lifetime tormenting, and in that moment, he realized he'd never been more grateful for her friendship.

"Why don't you go check on your son?" Hermione suggested.

With a reluctant nod, he left Hermione and his daughters in her study and walked across the hall to the spare bedroom where he found his son, snoring softly, as he slept on his stomach with a hand clutched to his small green blankey. Carefully, he picked up his son and cradled him to his chest, slowly rocking as he cuddled him close. He heard his son mumble something in his sleep that sounded an awful lot like the word 'car,' which invoked a small, silent chuckle. The child was obsessed with anything that had a steering wheel, but that wasn't so much Hermione's influence as it was the influence of Hermione's father, Richard.

Quietly, he carried his son out of the spare bedroom and saw Hermione carrying Claire and leading Anya by the hand down to her bedroom. He stood in the hallway and watched as an emotionally drained Anya crawled on top of the plum colored bedding and rest her head against the pillow. Claire looked to be half asleep as Hermione carefully laid his daughter down next to her sister, his heart pulling slightly at how Anya wrapped a protective arm around Claire. Hermione reached for the cream colored throw at the end of her bed and draped it over the two of them. "I'll be out in the living room if you want me," he heard Hermione whisper to Anya.

Standing in the hallway, he rocked slowly as he held his son and was met with a disapproving look from Hermione. She shook her head as she crossed her arms against her chest. "What?"

"No tact. None," she said softly. "Zero."

"You sound like my wife."

Hermione shook her head. "He's only been asleep for about an hour. If you put him down, he'll probably sleep for another hour and a half. If you don't - he's going to wake up sooner."

Draco motioned towards her bedroom. "Are they sleeping?"

Hermione nodded. "Well, Anya's resting. Claire essentially cried her poor self to sleep."

"Car," Scorpius mumbled with a slight head jerk.

Stifling a laugh, Hermione pulled the small boy from Draco's arms and went to lay him back down in the transfigured bed. Shutting the door as she left Scorpius to sleep uninterrupted, Hermione glanced down at the girls sleeping in her room at the end of the hall. "Draco - why don't you go lay down with the girls?"

He shook his head. "I can't."

"You can," she encouraged. "Go. A bit of a nap for all of you wouldn't be the worst thing right now."

"Granger…"

"Don't make me make you," she warned. "Go. Sleep. Comfort your daughters. This won't be the last time they need you like this, so you better get used to it. Starting now."

Draco sighed, dragging a hand down his face. He looked down the hall at his daughters, then back at her. He'd never even seen the inside of her bedroom and now he she was suggesting - demanding - that she go in there and get some rest. "I'm just going to hang out on the couch," Draco said. "If they're asleep they should stay that way for a bit."

Hermione sighed. "Do you enjoy being impossible?"

"Granger - my wife is dying. I've earned the right to be impossible for a moment - and this is the moment I choose to exhaust my right."

"Fine," she said with a roll of her eyes. She followed him down the hallway and could see he was tense, walking the way he used during their sixth year at school. His movements were rigid and telling, but she said nothing. Instead, she walked into her small kitchen while he plopped down into her leather sofa, kicking his shoes off before propping his feet up on the coffee table. She grabbed two beers out of the fridge and popped off the bottle caps, tossing them into the trash as she walked over to him and handed a beer, taking a seat on the opposite end of the sofa. "How was Astoria at the hospital?"

Draco shrugged as she slouched back against the couch, pulling at the knot in his tie. "Scolding me for acting like an ass to the healer." He took a long swing of his beer and swallowed with a sigh. "Do you think I'm making a mistake having her move back to the house? I mean, I didn't exactly give her the option of refusing."

"It will be easier on the children," Hermione said, taking a drink of her beer. "Will you be ok with her back in the house?"

"I never had a problem with Astoria being in the house. I had a problem with us fighting like it was Wizarding War Three over everything," Draco replied with a sigh. "We never should have married."

Hermione let out a snort. "I know how that goes."

Draco let out a wry laugh. "Right. The Weasel. I forgot."

She kicked her leg up and shoved her foot into his thigh. "Oh please! You didn't forget."

"You're right - I didn't," Draco snarked as he took another drink, looking around her condo. "Are you ever going to move back into a real house?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It's just me, afterall. I don't need a lot of space." Hermione placed her beer on top of a coaster on the coffee table.

"Do you think Anya meant what she said?" Draco changed the subject out of the blue. "That I only stayed married to Astoria because it's bad form to divorce a dying woman?"

"I think she's a teenage girl that is about to lose her mother, and that you can't take everything she says right now seriously," Hermione replied. "She's upset."

Draco looked over at Hermione, the side of his face pressed into the back of the couch. "But what if she's right?"

"Draco, you both made the decision to not go through with the divorce until she was done with her treatment," Hermione said. "It was the right decision to make."

He finished his beer and with the neck of the bottle between his fingers, Draco carefully set it down on the hardwood floor next to the couch. Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh and rested his hands on his stomach, his fingers clasped together. "I didn't want her to die," he hoarsely whispered several minutes later.

Hermione grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and gently draped it over him. "Anya knows that," she whispered. Climbing off the couch, she grabbed her beer bottle and Draco's and quietly walked out of the living room, tossing the bottles into the trash can with a slight clink. She busied herself with cleaning up the dishes from lunch, stacking up the mountain of pictures Claire drew with Scorpius' unwanted help on some, and returned the nail polish cabinet behind the mirror over the sink.

Catching her reflection, Hermione pressed her fingers into her cheeks, dragging them outward as she stared at herself. She never thought at thirty-two she'd be living in a condo, divorced, and childless, but she there she stood in that exact life. When her divorce was finalized three years ago, Hermione found herself for the first time in her life with zero direction and filled with rage towards her ex-husband. She couldn't count how many times she asked Ron if he wanted to start a family, how badly she longed for a real family like Harry and Ginny and the rest of his brothers had with their wives. Ron always retorted with the same gimmick of wanting it to be just the two of them, because they'd spent nearly half their life helping Harry defeat Voldermort, and they deserved to be selfish. So she waited. Patiently, Hermione waited for eleven excruciatingly long years for Ron to get his 'selfishness' out of his system.

However, it'd turned out that Ron was being selfish and then some. She remembered the day it came to an end as if it were yesterday, walking into her house and finding four of her suitcases filled to max capacity by the staircase. Ron, with a guilty look on his face as he sat on the couch, hands clasped together, the tops of his ears as red as his hair, looked up at her. She could see his nose looked a bit crooked, and he had a slight cut on his cheek.

"_Rough day in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts today?" she teased as she unbuttoned her black peacoat. "Attacked by a rabid jack-in-the-box?"_

"_I uh…I have something I need to tell you," he managed to say, still sitting on the couch._

_Hermione pulled her grey scarf off from around her neck and stared at Ron. "What's wrong?" _

_Ron vigorously rubbed the palm of his hands on the tops of his legs, taking in a few deep breaths and exhaling slowly. "I've…I've been seeing someone else for the past year, and she told me last week that she's pregnant." _

_She felt like she'd been hit in the chest with powerful bludger. When Hermione opened her mouth to speak, all the words dissolved before they could reach her lips._

_He motioned over towards the suitcases. "I uh, packed up all of your clothes. I'll arrange to have your books and things packed and delivered to wherever you want later this week." _

_Hermione shook her head and placed her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?" she finally managed to ask incredulously._

_Ron shrugged somewhat awkwardly as he look at her. "Well, she has a small place, and with a baby, we're obviously going to need a house."_

"_Right," Hermione scoffed, as if everything he said made sense. Though knowing him as she did, she was aware that in his warped mind, he believed that he'd come up with the perfect plan. Tying her scarf back around her neck, she placed her tote back on her shoulder. With a flick of her wand, she shrunk her suitcases and dropped them into her tote, glaring at Ron the entire time. _

"_Hermione -"_

"_Don't!" she cut him off with a hiss. "Don't speak to me. Ever again. Do you understand me?" _

It was that same night, oddly enough, that she ran into Draco Malfoy. After dropping her bags off at her parents house, thankful that they were still on holiday because at the moment she didn't have it in her to answer questions, she disapparated from her driveway to Diagon Alley and walked into the Leaky Cauldron.

_She walked inside the seedy pub and took a seat on a stool at the bar. Removing her hat with a huff, she unbuttoned her coat and caught the bartender's attention, ordering a butterbeer. _

_The man next to her laughed, and it was a laugh she'd recognize here. "You don't come to the Leaky Cauldron for butterbeer, Granger." _

_Hermione looked to her right and saw Draco staring at her with a smirk. "Shut it, Malfoy," she snapped. "I'm in no mood for your general brand of humor and insults at the moment." _

_He was nursing a glass of fire whiskey, with an empty glass sitting in front of him. "So the Weasel told you then, eh?" _

_Eyes wide, Hermione took the butterbeer from the bartender and glared. "You knew!" _

"_Yes, but by accident," Draco replied with a snort. "I went to drop off paperwork to Potter's office this afternoon and when I walked in, I saw Potter haul off and hit him in the face." _

_That explains the nose, Hermione thought to herself as she took a drink. "Well, good for Harry," she managed to reply, staring straight ahead as she bounced her knee. She took a sip of her drink and sighed. "Shouldn't you be at home?" she asked after a few moments of silence._

_Draco downed the rest of his fire whiskey and motioned for the bartender to grab him another. "I'm avoiding my wife at the moment." _

"_And might I ask why?" _

"_Because she's a bitch," Draco replied simply. "She hates being a stay at home mother, so I tell her to get a bloody job. Or a hobby. Which then makes me an asshole because I'm not being 'sympathetic' to her needs. I've cut back my hours at work. I let her go and do Merlin knows what and spend foolish amounts of money on the weekend while I entertain Anya and Claire - and it's not enough. She's miserable and isn't happy unless everyone else is miserable with her. So I'm drinking until I get a tolerable buzz to disapparate home without splinching myself, and hopefully, it will make tonight's round of yelling a bit more bearable." _

_Hermione nodded. "I see." _

_Draco sighed as he took his new glass, the bartender removing the two empty ones from the bar. "I shouldn't call her a bitch," he backtracked. "We're just rubbish together." _

"_Then why did you marry her?" she asked._

"_I had no choice. It was arranged." _

_Hermione pursed her lips together as she stared into her drink. "Who is it?" _

"_Who is what, Granger?" _

_She looked at him. "Who did my idiot husband knock up and have an affair with right under my nose?" _

_Draco grimaced as he took a drink. "Give me your wand." _

"_What?"_

"_Give me your wand," he replied. "I'm not telling you unless I have your wand so you can't curse the messenger." _

_Hermione hastily grabbed her wand from her pocket and thrust it into Draco's hand. "Now tell me. Who is it?" _

"_Lavender Brown," Draco bluntly replied._

Walking out of the bathroom, she went to check on the girls but only found Claire sound asleep. Looking down the hallway in the other direction, she saw Anya standing over Draco, gently brushing a hand over his head. With her arms across her chest, she walked towards her and stopped where the hallway ended and the living room began. She leaned against the wall and sighed.

Anya looked up at Hermione, her eyes red rimmed, and bit her lip. "Everything's going to change now, isn't it?"

Hermione took a deep breath and stared sympathetically at the sad girl in front of her. "I'm afraid it already has."

* * *

><p>Astoria, much like the man she married, did not come equipped with a lot of patience. Having an arranged marriage, for example, was convenient and acceptable for her when she married three weeks after her eighteenth birthday. It saved her the time and trouble of having to be courted eligible wizards who, in all reality, probably didn't have a chance of getting through the first date, let alone scheduling a second one. Early in their marriage, she and Draco had a wonderful time together. Their daughter was born eleven months after they were married, three weeks after Draco turned nineteen, and all the two ever heard about was not about the daughter that was here, but the son they needed to have.<p>

When Draco decided he wanted to be an auror, Astoria was furious. It left her alone for days and weeks, sometimes months at a time with the baby, and it was not the life she thought she'd signed up for. Ginny Potter was in the same boat as she, and the two would often get together and let their children play together while they talked, but Astoria didn't have much in common with the redheaded witch. Hermione Granger was also usually at Ginny's house for the play dates, as she often kept Ginny company when Harry was away. While Astoria never really cared for Hermione in school, Astoria did notice that her daughter took a keen liking to the witch, always excited to see her and always wanting Hermione to hold her.

After Claire was born, the pressure from both sides to produce an heir became unbearable, and the endless amounts of fighting began. Here Astoria was with two daughters when her intention was to only have one son, all the while lacking in maternal instincts. Claire, much like her sister, became fond of Hermione during their visits with Ginny, James, and Albus, a few years older than her youngest at the time. Astoria found herself jealous of Ginny as she was able to produce a son to carry on the Potter name, and of Hermione for how confident and calm she appeared around children - hers in particular.

Astoria's hostility manifested from various points as the years went on. Having three children instead of just one. Not living a glamorous lifestyle like she thought the wife of a Malfoy lived. She envisioned a life of balls and galas, mingling with only the most influential and important pureblood wizarding families but instead, she chased after three children tirelessly while her husband had the gall to actually enjoy the chasing around. Astoria blamed Harry Potter for her husband's interest in becoming the doting father Draco never had. Astoria was fine leaving the children in the care of house elves, but Draco refused to allow it. When they separated and had divorce papers drawn up a year after Scorpius was born, she didn't put up a fight when Draco asked for the children to remain in his house as their primary home. He was better equipped to handle the three of them than she ever was, even if he was sometimes too blunt and too ill tempered.

When she became sick, everything changed. The divorce was put on hold, and Draco had handled it better than she thought he would. Astoria spent the entire year since her diagnosis allowing Draco to drag her to every muggle specialist and wizarding healer in Europe. For a woman who had little patience, she suddenly found herself with an abundance of it, never once complaining when Draco came up with another 'plan' or another 'resource' to exhaust in finding a cure for her cancer. Astoria knew she wasn't going to survive the cancer, despite the treatments. She didn't know how, but something inside of her managed to find peace with the unfavorable result.

While letting Draco formulate his plans, Astoria somehow located the maternal instincts she swore she never had, and managed to bond with her older daughters as someone who did more than buy them clothes and toys. Her son came with an abundance of unconditional love and loved to cuddle with anyone who was a willing participant, and so the two of them spent many days in bed, playing with the funny muggle cars that Hermione gave to him, reading stories, and napping together. The more she bonded with her children, Astoria became aware of the time she had wasted with them, and it soon would become the only regret she had.

She also managed to lose her guard when it came to Hermione Granger. They certainly weren't best friends, but Astoria could see, even if they couldn't, that somehow Hermione and Draco had a connection. When Astoria would fight with her husband, it would be over the most trivial things with screaming to the point of Draco walking away and slamming a door. When he and Hermione would have spats, at least the ones she'd witnessed at the Potters, they were over something worth debating, but even as they traded barbs with one another, Astoria could see they were having fun. She'd never witnessed two people who enjoyed having a row with one another until Draco and Hermione were in the same vicinity.

Astoria did feel somewhat sad for Hermione when her marriage to Ron unraveled. Granted, she wanted a divorce as well and hadn't found a way to make it happen, let alone broach the subject, but she did take comfort in knowing that no matter how bad it got between Draco and her, she knew Draco would never cheat on her. She remembered the day that Hermione came to their house, knocking on the door like a muggle despite having access to their floo through the network.

"_Yes?" Astoria asked, eyeing the witch in front of her as she wondered bothering to take a look in the mirror at her current disheveled appearance._

_Hermione shoved her hands into her coat pockets. "Might I borrow your husband for the afternoon?" _

"_For what, might I ask?" Astoria inquired with look._

"_Ron's been cheating on me for a year with Lavender Brown and he's apparently knocked her up. He wants to arrange for my things to be moved out of the house, but I'd rather he not touch anything that belongs to me at the moment, so Harry's offered to help me move. But I need another set of hands, and with your husband, I have the added benefit that it will annoy Ronald to no end." _

_Astoria opened the front door wider and motioned for Hermione to come inside. "Ron cheated on you - with that wretched girl?" She shut the door and made a face. "I didn't know he had it in him." _

"_Yes, well, he does. I beg for a child the moment we get married, and he goes and not only cheats on me, but is now having a child with her," Hermione replied hotly, and for a moment, she felt sympathy towards her._

_Nodding, Astoria called for an elf and instructed him to wake up Draco. "I did plan on having Draco watch the girls for me while I did a bit of shopping in the city, but far be it from me to deny the man an opportunity to put a burr in Weasley's ass for an afternoon." _

_Hermione nodded. "Thanks."_

Of course, the jealousy would always kick in for Astoria regarding Hermione when Draco would start a suggestion with the words, "Granger said." Granger said to try this restaurant. Granger said that if we do this, the baby might sleep through the night. I hope you like this restaurant - Granger said it is brilliant. Granger, Granger, Granger - it was like nails on a chalkboard to Astoria. She didn't know what infuriated her more - the fact that Draco confided in her about what was going on or the fact that he took her suggestions and used them. Of course, it wasn't like Astoria ever gave him a suggestion. She was the dutiful wife, just as her mother and mother-in-law encouraged her to be, and those kinds of wives didn't give suggestions to their husbands.

As she waited in her room for her husband to arrive to take her back to the home they used to share, she remembered the day she went and told Draco about her diagnosis. She remembered how she thought it to be a cruel joke - considering the fact that once she found the courage to get out of her miserable marriage and finally on the same page as her ex-husband to be, she was smacked in the face with a disease that baffled muggles and wizards alike.

_After leaving her husband's office, Astoria walked across the hall and knocked on Hermione Granger's door. She heard the door unlock, and Astoria entered, finding Hermione organizing her desk and checking tasks off of a list. "Astoria," Hermione said, somewhat surprised. Of course, it wasn't as if the two were close, so Astoria wasn't shocked by her tone. "Can I…do you need something? If Draco isn't in his office I'm sure I can find him for you." _

_Astoria shook her head. "I just came to tell you that I have cancer, and I just told Draco. Do me a favor and wait five minutes before checking on him. He seems a bit shocked by the news." _

_She watched as Hermione blinked her eyes, somewhat slowly as she absorbed the news. "I…I…Astoria," she stammered. "I'm so sorry. How bad is it?" _

"_Bad," Astoria plainly replied. "I'll know more later this week. Just…make sure he doesn't go and do anything completely stupid, will you?" _

"_Cer…certainly," Hermione said, a hand held over her heart. _

"_Remember - five minutes," Astoria reminded her, and left the Department of Magical Law Enforcement without another word._

With a knock on the door, Astoria straightened up in her bed, smoothing out her blouse and skirt she'd changed back into after she woke from her nap. "Come in," she called out.

Draco walked into the room, pushing an empty wheelchair. "Your chariot awaits, milady," he teased.

"I'm not leaving in that," Astoria said with an offending glare towards the chair. "I can walk just fine."

"It's hospital policy," Draco retorted.

"I'm not dead yet," Astoria snarked. "I can walk."

Draco gave her an unamused look. "Get in the bloody chair. Once we're home you can walk around to your heart's content."

She sighed, but relented anyway. Astoria got up from the bed and sat in the chair, crossing one leg over the other. "I'll need to have someone go by the flat to collect my things."

"I'll send one of the elves over this evening," Draco replied as he pushed her through the hospital halls. "Your potions and medicines will be delivered tomorrow, with a schedule, and I have nurses lined up to be on call if we need them."

"When," she said.

"When?"

He stopped pushing her as they reached the hospital exit. She took her purse from him as she stood to her feet. "Needing the nurses isn't an if, Draco. It's a when."

Draco opened the door of the town car, as the driver was already in the front seat with the engine running. "Get in the car, Astoria," he said with a sigh. "The children are waiting."

The drive out to their home - Draco's home - was about forty minutes outside of the city. The two of them sat on opposite ends of the back seat, each of them holding the other's hand as it rested on the middle seat as they rode out to the countryside. It wasn't until they were about halfway home that Astoria finally broke the silence between them.

"How did the girls take it?"

"Not well," Draco replied. "And you were right - I lack tact."

She sighed. "Draco…"

"They were sad, but that was to be expected," Draco replied. "Claire cried herself into a nap, Anya yelled, then Anya cried, and then Granger took care of them. She's good with them. The children, that is."

Astoria nodded, as she watched the countryside pass through the tinted window. "She always has been."

"Granger would have been a good mother."

"She still young. She has time."

"I guess," Draco replied, his gaze fixed on the window as he watched the countryside pass by.

* * *

><p>"They're here!" Hermione heard Claire shout as she ran down the stairs. "They're here, Hermione! Mummy and Daddy are home!"<p>

Anya looked up from her book she was reading on the couch and over at Hermione, who was collecting things as Scorpius brought them to her. So far she had one of his shoes, a book, his blankey, a coaster, a marker, and one of his cars sitting in her lap. His way of giving things to people included him saying 'see it!' repeatedly until you took the object from his tiny hands.

As the front door opened, Scorpius whipped his head around. "Mum!" he squealed, running as fast as his little legs could carry him. "Mum! Car! See it! Car!"

Astoria knelt down and picked up her son, kissing his cheek as she took the car from him. "I see it, Scorp. It's a car."

"Car!" he exclaimed again. "Daddy - car!"

Draco ruffled his blond locks and laughed. "Yes, buddy, it's a car."

Claire came barreling into the front room and collided into Astoria's legs, hugging them tight. "Mummy I'm so glad you're home!" she exclaimed, sniffling a bit. She looked up at her mother, her lip trembling slightly. "Daddy says you can't get better anymore."

Astoria put Scorpius down and gave her youngest daughter a proper hug. "It is true, but we're going to make the best of the time we have together, I promise."

She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. "Mummy I don't want you to die."

"Shhh," Astoria cooed, kissing her forehead. "We don't need to talk about any of this right now, ok?" She took her hand and walked into the living room and sat down next to Anya on the couch opposite of Hermione. "How about you tell me what you did with Miss Hermione today."

Claire nodded. "I drew you pictures today because I thought you had to stay at St. Mungo's. They were to hang up in your room."

"Well maybe we can hang them in the guest room where I'll be staying," Astoria said.

"They're in the kitchen - I'll go and get them!" Claire exclaimed as she scampered out of the room.

Astoria looked over at Anya, noting that her toenails were a particularly horrendous shade of pink and glitter. "You're toenails are…interesting."

"It's on my fingers too," Anya replied, going back to her book.

"Clearly," Astoria replied, taking note of her hands. She looked over at Draco, who was standing near the fireplace, resting a hand on the mantle. "I'm sorry your father didn't allow you to come to the hospital today to see me. I hope you still aren't upset with him."

Anya shrugged, flipping a page. "I'm over it." Hermione cleared her throat to catch Anya's attention, and when she did, she gave her a look and nodded towards Astoria. Closing her book once more, she sat up and leaned her head against her mother. "I'm sorry," Anya whispered.

"Here they are, Mummy!" Claire exclaimed as she reentered the room, stopping right in front of Astoria. "Scorpius scribbled on some of them, so we don't have to hang those," she explained with a slight air of disgust. "But these pictures are my best ones. And see - this one has you and me and Anya and Scorpius and Daddy!"

Astoria admired the artwork with a nod. She pointed to a stick figure that was tall with brown curly q's around her head. "Who is this person? Aunt Daphne?"

"No, that's Hermione!" Claire cried. "Aunt Daphne doesn't have curly hair, Mummy."

"Of course. How silly of me."

Hermione moved the collection odd things from Scorpius off of her lap and onto the coffee table. Her hair was down now, as she cleaned herself up a bit from earlier in the day. Straightening out her light pink cardigan, she kissed the top of Scorpius' head as he walked by. "Well, I will be going now," she said. "If you need anything," she said, looking at Astoria, then over to Draco, "please just ask."

"Actually, Hermione, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind joining us for dinner," Astoria commented.

Hermione stuck her hands in the pockets of her navy blue jeans. "I don't know, Astoria. You all probably have a lot to talk about. Maybe another night."

"Please," Astoria simply requested, locking eyes with the woman. "I'd actually like to talk to you, once the children are in bed."

Confused, Hermione looked back at Draco, who merely shrugged, then back to Astoria. "Um, well, I guess I can stay then. If that's what you'd like."

"Wonderful," Astoria replied. "I will have the elves start dinner at once."


	3. Chapter 3

**_Weekends are far too short. I'll have updates for my other two AU fics this week - again - my bad for leaving the almost finished chapters on my thumb drive at work. But hopefully this story is making up for it in the meantime. There's a little bit of Harry/Ginny in this chapter as well, and I promise we'll see more of them, and a few other characters as the story progresses._**

**_Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I wasn't really sure how this story was going to come across to everyone, but I'm really encouraged by the comments I've received :D_**

* * *

><p>Dinner was a far cry from Hermione's usual frozen dinner in front of the telly as she watched one of the 247 muggle news channels. The dining room inside the Malfoy Mansion, much like the rest of the home, was elegantly decorated in dark colors with floor to ceiling windows decked in lavish tapestries, large ornate oriental rugs draped along the black hardwood floors. None of the rooms looked lived in, and Hermione assumed that the staff of four house elves within the mansion was kept busy keeping it that way. If it hadn't been for Claire's incessant chatter about being ready to go back to school while she talked about getting a head start on all the Valentines she had to make, dinner would have been painfully silent.

"Claire, you realize Valentine's Day is like, over a month away, right?" Anya commented as her fork scraped against the plate while she stabbed the green beans with unnecessary vigor.

Claire nodded. "Yes, but I have _lots_ to make this year. There's one for Daddy, one for Mummy, one for Hermione, Blaise, Aunt Daphne, my teacher Miss Flick, Harry and Ginny, James, Lily -"

"_Albus_," Anya sing-songed with a smirk.

Claire's pale cheeks turned a rosy red at the mention of Albus Potter. "Anya," Astoria said as she nursed her glass of wine. "Be nice to your sister."

Anya shrugged as she took a bite of her mashed potatoes. "What? Everyone knows Claire's in love with him."

"I'm not! I'm not in love with Albus! Daddy make her stop!" Claire exclaimed.

Draco looked up from his dinner, speaking for the first time since they all sat down together. "Anya, don't tease your sister," he said in a tone that left little room for argument.

Satisfied with her father's response, Claire continued to make her list aloud as Scorpius sat next to her, smashing his toddler fork into his mashed potatoes with gusto. "I also have to make some for Nana and Papa Greengrass and Grandfather."

Snorting, Anya rolled her eyes and reached for her drink. "Don't waste your time, Claire. They'll just toss them in the trash."

Claire's eyes began to water and Anya found herself receiving stares of disapproval from all three adults in the room. "What? It's what they did to mine - I'm just trying to save the kid some effort. You know Scorpius is going to be the only one either of them get excited about, being the 'heir' and all."

"Gink!" Scorpius exclaimed, showing off his blue and green tippy cup decorated with cars and trains - another one of the many things Hermione had purchased for Scorpius to have at her house, but had Draco bring the extras to his house. After all - she didn't need quite as many and they never came in individual packages at the muggle stores. "Car, YaYa! Car!"

"Yes, Scorp, car," Anya said with an exasperated sigh. "You really need to learn new words. Cars are getting boring."

"Car!" he repeated with glee, as everyone laughed.

Anya looked over at Claire and motioned towards Hermione with her fork. "You can make valentines for Richard and Jean - you know they get excited when you make them things."

"Of course!" Claire exclaimed. "Hermione, your mummy and daddy would like valentines, right?"

"They would love them," Hermione replied. "In fact, I bet if you make them one, they will even hang it up in their office so that everyone who comes to visit can see."

Claire pondered the idea of her artwork being on display for others to see. "You really think they would?"

Hermione nodded. "I do."

"Awesome," Claire replied with a grin. "But I should probably make them one for home too. In case they want to see the valentine when they aren't at work."

Silence settled within the dining room once more, everyone finishing up their dinner. Hermione folded up the napkin in her lap and placed it back onto the table as the house elves came by to clear the plates. "Thank you," she said to the elf. "Dinner was superb."

The elf smiled and looked over at Draco, who gave the elf a nod. "Harby is very glad Misses Hermione enjoyed dinner! Harby will tell the other elves your compliment!"

"Please do," Hermione encouraged with a friendly pat to his head.

After dinner was over, Anya took her siblings upstairs to the playroom and was instructed by Astoria to keep them entertained for a bit, much to her oldest daughter's chagrin. Draco soon excused himself from the table, telling the two women that he would be in his study working if he was needed, and suddenly, Hermione found herself alone with Astoria. Feeling nervous, she held her hands in her lap as to keep from fidgeting too much in front of a woman who Hermione always seemed to be prim and proper, regardless of her surroundings. Even with a scarf covering her hairless head, Hermione thought that there was no one else who could pull off the look while looking like she was ready to go anywhere.

"Let's move this conversation to the parlor, shall we?" Astoria said, standing from the table.

Hermione nodded, following her lead as she followed Astoria through the house. Hermione couldn't help but look around as they passed through rooms. Of course, she hardly went past the foyer or the front room on the occasion she did come to the mansion, and the majority of those instances were to return the children back to Draco. As they wandered over to the eastern side of the house, Hermione followed Astoria into a smaller room, with deep green walls and darkly stained accents. Astoria sat in a leather wingtip chair and motioned for Hermione to take a seat on the couch adjacent to her. A tray with tea was already waiting for them.

"Would you mind?" Astoria asked. "It's been a long day and I'm afraid my hands might be a bit too shaky to manage a full pot of tea."

Hermione nodded, carefully picking up the teapot and filling the two cups with tea. "How many sugars?"

"Two, please," Astoria replied. She took the teacup and saucer from Hermione and relaxed a bit into the chair. She waited for Hermione to fix her own cup of tea, not bothering to sweeten it at all. "Not a fan of sugar?" she asked.

Sipping her tea, Hermione swallowed the warm, unsweetened tea and set her teacup back on the saucer as she tried her best to remember proper protocol from her summers spent in cotillion lessons. "Oh, well, my parents - they're dentists…and they never used to drink their tea with sugar cubes. They have sugar substitutes that are better for your teeth that I have at home, but they aren't common so I usually drink it plain and…" she felt her cheeks blush as she set her saucer and cup down on the table between them. "Sorry. I was rambling. It's a…nervous habit I guess."

Astoria took another drink of her tea. "You don't need to be nervous, Hermione."

She nodded quickly. "Right. Of course. I know that, er, knew that." Hermione felt her cheeks blush even more than she thought possible. "Sorry. Again."

"It's quite alright," Astoria replied. "This is a bit awkward for me as well, considering we aren't exactly close. Of course, I don't expect the latest news regarding my health to change our…interactions with one another. I'm not looking for sympathy."

Hermione nodded. "I didn't think you would be, Astoria."

Taking another sip of her tea, Astoria leaned forward and set her saucer down on the table. As she adjusted the scarf slightly, tugging at it from the nape of her neck, she crossed one leg over the other. "I'm dying, Hermione. It's the simple fact of the matter. I've been watching you ever since Anya was born, all of those meetings at the Potter house, how you interacted with her and genuinely cared for. All of my children - you have a bond with them that I never had until recently, and even now it is subpar at best, when compared to yours."

Hermione shook her head no. "Astoria, your children love you. They do."

"I know they love me," Astoria stated. "But they adore you. And while their adoration used to find its way under my skin over the years, I now find it comforting in a sense, because of the request I'm about to make."

"Request? I'm sorry, Astoria, but I'm not following."

"When the time comes, Hermione, I want you to step in and become a mother figure to my children."

Her eyes grew wide as she leaned back a bit, her hands braced on the tops of her knees. "Astoria…I…I mean…I -" All Hermione could do was stammer. Her mind was reeling a thousand miles a minute and for a moment, she could have sworn that the oxygen was being sucked out of the room. She closed her eyes to regain her focus, and once she felt like she had it, she opened her eyes and found Astoria staring at her somewhat peculiarly. "Sorry," she apologized again. "I mean, I care for your children quite dearly. I do. I always will. But Draco…I mean, he may want to remarry, he might fall in love with someone else…someone might be more suitable in this role."

Astoria shook her head. "There is no one else."

"But your sister," Hermione protested. "Surely you would want her - I mean, she's the closest thing to you that your children will have. And your parents -"

"My sister is not suitable to care for plants and small animals, let alone children," Astoria said as she politely cut Hermione off. "As for my parents, they're old, and as much as I hate to admit it, Anya is right. They are only interested in Scorpius, as is Draco's father."

Hermione frowned at Astoria's confession. "I don't…I don't understand how your parents could only be interested in Scorpius, after having two daughters of their own."

"My parents have two daughters for the same reason I have two daughters - because the first child wasn't a son," Astoria replied somewhat coolly. "I of course, decided to try one more time in an attempt to save a marriage that was impossible to save. But my parents quit trying after I was born and instead placed their eggs in the basket of me marrying well by securing that future with an arranged marriage." She picked up her tea again and took a drink. "Hogwarts was the best thing to happen to my parents - as it gave them an opportunity to not parent for nine months out of the year. They can't fill in, and quite frankly, once we started the divorce Mother and Father and Draco…well…let's just say they ought to keep out of being in the same room."

Nodding, Hermione picked her tea again as well; only she left the saucer on the table as she held the teacup in between both of her hands. "Astoria, I'm touched. Really, I am. But I don't think -"

"There is no one else, Hermione," Astoria repeated. "My children are going to be motherless in a matter of months and I need to know that they will be cared for properly."

"Draco will -"

"Draco is worthless without you, Hermione."

"Excuse me?"

Astoria sighed. "You two have an odd friendship. It's a friendship that I don't understand, a friendship I have wasted countless hours being envious of, but the fact of the matter is that you have, in small bits, helped him become a better person. Don't get me wrong - he's still an insufferable pain in the ass, but he listens to you. Even when you think he doesn't."

Hermione inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, finishing her cup of tea. "Astoria -"

"You know the memories of theirs worth remembering," Astoria continued. "You know when Anya lost her first tooth, or how Claire broke her arm when she was three and it was you who came up with the idea to pour the skele-gro into her juice so that her arm could be properly mended. The girls confide in you, they look up to you, and all three of my children - they need you."

Clasping her hands together, Hermione looked at Astoria and bit her lip. "Are you asking me to move into the mansion?"

"Eventually, yes."

"Astoria -"

"I'm not taking no for an answer, Hermione," Astoria replied. "I'm aware my actions from the moment Anya was born have not earned me any sort of 'Mother of the Year,' title. I will live the rest of my remaining days reminding myself of the time I wasted and the moments I missed because I chose to spend time wishing my life was different instead of living in the moments of the life I had. But you…you have these automatic instincts I wished I could have found within myself from the moment Anya was placed into my arms."

Hermione didn't know what to say. She bounced her knee and pressed her clasped hands to her lips, her elbows pressed into her thighs. How was she supposed to say no to a dying woman? Better yet - who says no to a dying woman? No one - that's who. But it wasn't like Astoria was asking her for something simple - she was asking her to literally take her place. And Draco - she didn't even know what Draco would say. Asking her to watch the children when he was called into work unexpectedly was different than being in the house every day, making decisions every day, seeing him both at the office and outside of the office every day.

"I know you love my children," Astoria said softly. "Draco himself today even said that you would have made a good mother."

All Hermione could do was nod, and periodically scratch underneath her neck where her hair scratched her skin. "I do. I love you children," she said quietly.

"And I know your parents love them," Astoria added for good measure. "Claire goes on about them nonstop, and any time Scorpius sees a car he cries out 'Ga!' I of course, had no idea what that meant but Anya informed me the other day that 'Ga' is what Scorpius calls your father."

Hermione laughed a little bit. The look on both her father's face and Scorpius' face alike when they see each other is positively priceless. "My parents adore the children. As a daughter, I've failed them in the sense that I have not produced grandchildren so they have chosen to live vicariously as grandparents through yours."

"Hermione," Astoria said, her voice almost pleading. "I want whatever time I have left to be as calm as possible. I want to be able to die with peace, and that comes with knowing that you will assume responsibility for my children. It is my one request - my only request, for you. I won't take no for an answer."

* * *

><p>"Merlin's beard - you're going to say yes."<p>

Hermione was lying on the couch, holding a beer bottle to her stomach as her head rested on Ginny's lap. Harry sat across from them in what Ginny referred to as his 'old man' recliner, his hands clasped together with his forefingers pressed to his lips. "What was I supposed to say, Ginny? The woman is dying. Dying! And I don't know what I'm going to say, because I told her that I'd have an answer for her tomorrow."

"But we're talking about living with Draco Malfoy. The two of you will kill each other!"

"We aren't sixteen anymore," Hermione said with a sigh. "I mean, sure, we fight, but we're friends in our own odd way. It's not like Harry and I, or you and I…but we work together when we need to. And I wouldn't even say that we fight so much as we've learned to…agree to disagree at times."

Ginny ran a hand through her long red locks and shook her head. "This is crazy, Hermione. Harry - tell her. Tell her she's out of her mind, attaching herself to Draco for essentially the rest of her life."

Harry continued to sit in his chair, still as silent as he was when Hermione floo'ed into their living room, recanting her entire evening before the flames could die down.

"Hermione - I know that what Ron did was horrible, but you're hardly an old maid. You have plenty of time to find someone who loves you and wants to have a family with you," Ginny continued, glaring at her husband for his lack of participation in the conversation at hand. "If you would just put some actual effort into dating, you might find yourself surprised at what's out there."

Sighing, Hermione sat up just enough to take a swig of her beer before dropping her head back down on Ginny's lap. "Ginny, I wasted eleven years of my life in a marriage. I put everything I had into it and got nothing in return. I'm not about to go through that again."

"Not everyone is Ron," Ginny replied.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione stated.

"You know what you need? You need to get laid."

"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed.

"What - now you choose to contribute to the conversation?" Ginny snapped. "Seriously, Hermione - when was the last time you had a good shag? Maybe if we found you someone to just shag when you're bored, you'd realize that you still have life in you to live, and that life doesn't include playing nanny to the Malfoy children."

Hermione bolted upright and stared at Ginny. "She didn't ask me to nanny, Ginny. She asked me to bloody replace her as a mother! Can you even imagine how hard that must have been for her? Astoria doesn't even like me all that much. She's just learned to tolerate me over the years. What if it were you? What if you were sick? What would you want?"

The redheaded witch dropped her head as Hermione's words sank into her skull. Finally, after a few moments, Ginny sighed and looked up at Hermione, her voice thick with emotion as she spoke. "I…I probably would have asked you to do the same thing."

Sighing, Hermione opened her arms and hugged Ginny, who returned the hug just as fiercely. Pulling apart, Hermione bit her lip and looked over at Harry. "Harry…please. Say something. Tell me what to do."

Harry stared at his best friend and shrugged his shoulders. "I think you've already made your decision, Hermione."

"You aren't going to try and talk me out of it?"

"I'm not sure there is any point. Do you?"

Hermione dropped her shoulders and picked at the paper around her beer bottle. "No."

Harry got up from his recliner and walked over to the couch, wrapping an arm around Hermione as she leaned her head onto his shoulder. He kissed her forehead and gave her knee a reassuring pat before removing the beer bottle from her hand and placing it on the coffee table. "The children adore you," he said. "Astoria is right about that. And I think…that if I had been given someone like you as you are now to watch over me when my own parents died, that I would have been the luckiest kid in the world."

Hermione reached for his hand with hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Thank you, Harry."

"Not that you didn't mother me in your own way from the moment you met me," he teased. "Bossing me around every chance you got."

Hermione laughed as she used her thumb to brush away a tear before it fell down her cheek. "Someone had to."

"Exactly," Harry replied. "But what I think my wife was trying to say earlier was that neither she nor I for that matter want to see you put yourself in a position that closes doors for you. You deserve to be happy."

She nodded, understanding what they were both saying. With a heavy sigh, she leaned back into the couch as Harry untangled himself from her, but keeping a reassuring hand on her leg. Harry was right - her decision was already made, even if she wasn't ready to acknowledge it until now.

* * *

><p>Astoria went to bed that night feeling confident that Hermione would return tomorrow and say yes to her request. As she prepared herself for bed, removing her headscarf and placing it on her nightstand in the guest room, she heard a knock at the door. "Draco, you don't need to knock," she called out while turning down the bedding.<p>

Draco walked in and closed the door, leaning up against it as he watched Astoria take the potions that were to help keep her comfortable as she slept. "The kids are in bed. The little ones, anyway. Anya's in her room reading some muggle book from Granger. Something about a wonderland."

"A wonderland?" Astoria questioned as she climbed into bed. "It's probably _Alice in Wonderland_."

Draco nodded. "Sounds familiar. Are you sure you're comfortable in this room? I don't mind if you take the master suite."

Astoria shook her head. "That's your bedroom. I'm perfectly fine in here."

"Fine," Draco replied, continuing to stand against the door. "Are you going to tell me why you held Granger hostage here this evening?"

"Hostage? Really Draco?"

"I don't recall you ever saying more than five words to her at a time, so yes, hostage sounds about appropriate."

Climbing into bed, Astoria pulled her blankets up to her waist as she leaned back against her pillows. "I've said more than five words to her at time."

"You know what I mean, Tori."

Astoria rolled her eyes. "Put a silencing charm on the room."

He reached for his wand in his pocket and with a flourish of his wrist, the muffalto charm was cast. "Should I be scared?"

She laughed. "I don't know. Hopefully you're relieved when I tell you, but I can see where you might find yourself a bit upset."

"Astoria…"

"Don't get your wand in a knot, Draco," she chided. "Tonight, I asked Hermione to step in for me as a mother figure for the children."

Stunned into a bout of silence, Draco stared at his wife dumbfounded, his mouth going dry as he swallowed hard. "I…you…I…"

She watched as he continued to stammer about, silently counting down in her head from five before he blew his top, right on cue.

"Are you out of your fucking mind!" he bellowed. "I mean, I get that you have cancer - but certainly your brain still functions, right?"

"For the time being," Astoria replied.

"You want Granger to just swoop in here and take your place as my wife. You must be out of your goddamn mind."

"I said take my place as the children's mother. Not your wife."

Draco threw his hands up in the air as he began to pace around the room. "Granger. In this house. Every day. You've gone completely mental - you may as well have asked her to be my wife!"

"Actually Draco, being married to you isn't exactly something I recommend to women when I speak with them, if only for no other reason than I've had the _pleasurable_ experience of actually being your wife for the past fourteen years."

"Yes well, it certainly hasn't been all chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties for me either, sweetheart."

Sighing, Astoria stared at her husband with a pointed glare. "You know - as much as I've had to listen about how much you don't like Granger when in reality, you seem to like her enough to reference her in at least two conversations an evening. Furthermore, I'd appreciate it if you'd take a little bit of consideration into the fact that she was the last person I ever wanted to ask to take care of my children and despite being the last person, she is the right person. You've seen her with the children - you've seen her with them more than I have. You know she's more than capable and you even said so yourself today that she would have made a good mother."

Draco rolled his eyes. "That wasn't my way of opening the door and having you invite her to be apart of our daily lives. Making decisions with me about _our_ children."

"Draco - do you or do you not go to her when you have a problem. Or something you need to sort out? And don't bother answering, because I know the answer is yes," Astoria stated. "By doing that - reaching out to her and getting her opinion - you are making decisions, often times about our children, with her. When I'm gone, it won't be any different."

"Please don't talk as if you are dying tomorrow."

"Just because the doctor said six months doesn't mean I'll actually get six months."

"Tori…"

Astoria reached for a box of tissues on her nightstand and wiped the edges of her lower eyelids, removing any evidence of tears. "This is important to me," she spoke hoarsely. "Daphne only sees the children on holidays, my parents are out of the question, and we won't even discuss your father. The children are going to need someone that they are comfortable with letting their guard down - especially Anya. She has been hot and cold this entire past year and while you're her father, you are not equipped to handle an emotional teenage girl."

Draco walked back over to his place by the door, pressing his back into the wood as he slid down until his bottom hit the floor. His knees to his chest, he rested his elbows on top of his kneecaps as he dragged his hands through his hair. He wasn't really all that upset about Granger if he was honest. Merlin knew he relied on her more than he would ever admit out loud, especially as of late. He also wasn't going to admit that his wife was right in the fact that his children did love Granger, and some days responded better to her than him.

"You are asking Granger to essentially give up her life," Draco finally spoke. "You are asking her to make a commitment that she will never back out on, even if she becomes miserable in the process. Appealing to her noble Gryffindor qualities was very Slytherin of you, my dear, but when Hermione Granger makes a promise, she doesn't back out."

"I'm aware of how Hermione operates," Astoria spoke, relaxing a bit into her pillows as she leaned back a bit.

"Astoria - what if she meets someone. What if someone comes along and gives her everything she could have ever wanted. She would have to choose between her happiness and the children - and you know which she would pick. It wouldn't be fair to her," Draco explained, his voice laced with a twinge of panic.

Sighing, Astoria looked at Draco and shook her head. "If that opportunity ever came about, Hermione would find a way to make it work. She would never be with someone who didn't accept her relationship with the children."

"What about me?" Draco asked. "What if I happen to meet the witch of my dreams? Then what?"

"If that were to happen, I'd first check to see if she was sedated, or under a curse so that she could experience you in all of your insufferable glory. If she passes that test and still wants to be with you, she will see that Hermione is a necessary component in keeping your family together."

Draco groaned, and Astoria laughed. "I find no humor in this, Tori."

"Well, believe me when I say I am finding plenty for the both of us."

He pulled himself up from the floor and brushed off his black slacks. Approaching the bed, Draco pulled her covers up higher and placed a warm kiss to her cheek. "This is the most mental idea you have ever come up with. In all the years I have known you - this takes the cake."

Astoria returned the kiss to his cheek and gave him a small smile. "I actually happen to think that this is one of my more brilliant ideas."

"I guess time will only tell," Draco replied. Kissing her once more, this time on her forehead, he turned of the small light on her nightstand and walked towards the door. Before he left, he took one more look at his wife and pursed his lips together. "Astoria?"

"Yes Draco?"

"I do love you," he managed to speak without letting his voice crack. "That much never stopped."

Astoria could see his face by the light of the hallway, and she smiled. "I don't think that love was ever our problem."

He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Right. If you need anything, or me, just call out for a house elf."

"Of course. Good night, Draco."

"Good night, Astoria."


	4. Chapter 4

**_Hey everyone :) I hope you enjoy the latest installment of my other AU fic. Like I mentioned in my other update yesterday, I apologize for updating delays in general, but I will be using my profile as a way to update you all instead of creating A/N chapters because let's be honest - all those do is get people's hopes up which I don't want to do._**

_**Thanks to everyone who has read and commented on this new story of mine. I really wasn't sure how it would be received but so far, I've been excited by everyone's reaction.**_

* * *

><p>A few days later, Hermione found herself buried deep in paperwork on her desk. Making that promise to Astoria meant that she had to have her affairs at work in order at all times. Of course, Hermione was always efficient, but her new goal was to always be three weeks ahead of the curve at the very least. This way, if she had to, she could take leave and have a temp fill in for her when she was away. Busily scribing away at her roll of parchment, Hermione didn't notice that she had a guest in her office until she heard him clear his throat.<p>

"Merlin!" she screeched, clapping a hand to her chest as she dropped her quill. "You scared me, Draco."

"Obviously," he replied, leaning against the doorway of her office as he stood in his black wool coat. "Have you had lunch yet?"

She motioned over to a bag sitting on her bookcase. "I brought mine today." Draco rolled his eyes as he pulled his wand out, levitating her bagged lunch to his hands. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "What do you think you're doing?"

Peering into the contents of the bag with an obvious cooling charm in place, he made a face before levitating her lunch back to the bookcase. "Carrots and celery hardly constitute lunch, Granger."

"There was dip in there too," she added.

"Again - not exactly what one would call lunch. A snack maybe, but not lunch."

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair and gave him a look. "I haven't gone to the market this week. I've been a bit busy, you know."

He rolled his eyes again. "Get up - we're going to lunch."

She laughed. "You're not the boss of me, Draco."

"Hermione Granger," he said, exhaling slowly as if it was keeping his temper in check. "Would you _please_ get your bony ass up from your chair and accompany me to lunch?"

She knew it was pointless to argue with him when he was in this sort of mood. Acco'ing her jacket from the couch in her office, Hermione snatched it out of the air and stood up, staring at him as she slid her arms through the grey sleeves of her pea coat. "You're positively charming today," she snarked.

"Everyday," he corrected with a smirk, watching as she rounded her desk, buttoning each button as she walked. He reached for her red scarf hanging on the coat rack near him and handed it to her, watching as she hastily looped it around her neck while untangling the bushy mane of hair from underneath. Leading Hermione down the hall, they walked past the desk of the assistant they shared, a nosey busy body named Lucille. "If anyone is looking for us, we're going out for a bit," he stated with a snippy tone.

Lucille stared at the two through her glasses. She was an older lady who had worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for many years. Despite her odd quirks and horrendous apparel she donned to work on a regular basis, Draco and Hermione both could acknowledge that she was good at her job, despite the fact that the gossip-owls that floated around the Ministry usually originated from her desk. "Out?" Lucille questioned.

"Did I stutter?" Draco sneered.

Hermione smacked him in the arm and shot him a look. "Don't mind him, Lucille - he's being more of an ass than usual today."

Lucille peered over her glasses at the two of them. "This is more than usual?"

"For the moment, yes," Hermione replied. "We're going to lunch. Please take a message if anyone needs us."

"Of course, Miss Granger."

With a hand shoving into his back, Hermione pushed him out of the office and into the hallway, scowling the entire time. "Honestly, Draco - do you have to be so rude to her?" Hermione asked as she fished her mittens out of her pocket. "Because if you keep it up, she'll end up quitting and then _I_ will have to break in someone new."

Offering her to walk in front of them as they entered the lift lobby on their floor, he held the door open as she walked into the lift and grabbed ahold of one of the hanging straps. "She's practically as old as the Ministry itself - she isn't going anywhere."

"She isn't that old," Hermione countered with a look.

"She still isn't going anywhere," Draco replied, reaching for a handle just before the lift lurched backwards before plummeting towards the lobby.

Hermione would never get used to the lifts in the Ministry, no matter how many times she found herself on them. Apparating made her less queasy than the inconsistent jolts and jerks of the service lifts, and what made matters worse was that no two rides were alike – regardless of it being a regular destination. As the service lift lurched into an abrupt stop, Draco grabbed ahold of her elbow as she steadied herself for a moment before the gate opened for them to exit.

Walking into the bustling lobby, Hermione spotted Harry across the way and gave him a smile as he walked towards them. "Hey," Harry said, leaning in as he kissed Hermione on the cheek. "I heard from your parents last night - they're worried about you."

She kissed his cheek in return. "Sorry - I haven't returned their calls this week, which is probably why they're bothering you."

"Your parents don't bother me, Hermione," Harry sincerely replied. "I did tell them, however, not to worry, and that you've just been busy with work." He turned his gaze to Draco, and extended a hand. "Malfoy."

"Potter," Draco replied, accepting the gesture. "How is the family?"

"Good," Harry replied. "Al and Lily are enjoying having James home for the holiday break. Teddy's here for this last week...you should come over and say hello. That is of course, if my daughter lets go of him long enough for you to do so.

Draco chuckled slightly as he returned his hands to the pockets of his coat. "Claire says Lily's a bit bossy."

"Indeed," Harry agreed with a smirk. "Of course, it's not hard to do when the boys give in to most of her demands." He took note of their outwear and lightly pulled on Hermione's scarf. "Where are you two headed?"

"Lunch," Draco replied, somewhat shortly. Catching the glare from Granger, he sighed and clicked his tongue up against the roof of his mouth. "What I meant to say was that I am taking Granger to lunch so we can discuss…things."

Nodding, Harry held his hands up and took a step back. He could have been offered two guesses to decipher what 'things' meant, but Harry would have only needed one. "Stay warm," he replied. "It's a bit nippy outside."

"Bye Harry," Hermione replied as Draco placed a faint hand against her lower back as they walked towards the floo chambers.

Grabbing ahold of his hand, she closed her eyes as they stood inside one of the glossy granite floo chambers and disapparated out of the Ministry and into the heart of downtown London. Grabbing ahold of her scarf, she tightened the warm fabric around her neck as the two of them hastily walked down the street before ducking into a cafe right off of Tottenham Court Road. She shivered as she walked inside the cafe, a blast of warm air hitting them both as they walked over to the counter.

"Ah, Miss Granger!" an older, balding man exclaimed. "I haven't seen you here in a bit! What can I do for you? Your usual toasted ham and cheese on rye?"

She smiled at the man. "Yes, Mister Kirkland. That would be wonderful. Could I get a Diet Coke with that as well?"

"Certainly. And for your gentleman friend?"

"The same," Draco replied, figuring he'd more than likely eat whatever she ordered.

"Actually - he'll have a turkey and swiss sandwich on sourdough," Hermione corrected.

Draco looked at her with a glare. "I don't need you to order for me, Granger."

"Apparently, you do," Hermione retorted. "You don't like rye bread, or ham for that matter."

"And how would you know?"

"Because you stole my sandwich two weeks ago and said, if I'm recalling correctly, _this tastes like shit, Granger_."

He was going to argue, but given the fact that he was so preoccupied that he couldn't remember yesterday, let alone two weeks ago, he went ahead and assumed she was telling the truth. Especially since what she recanted sounded an awful lot like something he would say. "Fine. But I want one of those fizzy drinks like you have at your house," he muttered in her ear.

Hermione looked over at Mister Kirkland and smiled. "He'll take a Diet Coke as well."

Draco handed the man his muggle credit card while Hermione retrieved their lunches at the other end of the counter. "You be nice to that girl," Mister Kirkland warned with a fatherly shake of his finger. "I've known her since she was a little one."

"In all honesty," Draco said, leaning across the cashier counter a bit. "It's she that needs to be told to be nice."

The old man laughed as he returned Draco's credit card. "She is a feisty one. Always has been."

"What are you two talking about?" Hermione demanded to know as she stood at the end, holding their tray of sandwiches, chips, and drinks.

"Nothing," the two men replied in unison.

Draco followed Hermione back and around the corner to a small booth in the back of the cafe. Outside, the bitter wind became mixed with large fluffy flakes of snow, whipping around the cars and passersby. Hermione removed her scarf and unbuttoned her coat as Draco took a seat across from her, picking up his sandwich and chip plate and placing it in front of him. Popping the cap off of his Diet Coke bottle, he put the bottle to his lips and took a sip of his 'fizzy' drink.

"You know - they sell this at the store," she told him. "You can pick it up when you pick up hot dogs for Scorp."

"I never remember it," Draco replied while unwrapping his sandwich. "You're sure I'm going to like this?"

"Just take a bite," she said with slight exasperation. "Honestly - you're worse than the children sometimes."

Smirking, Draco took a bite of the sandwich, and found himself pleasantly surprised. "Hey…this isn't bad!" he said with a mouthful.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she opened her sandwich from its wrapper and took a bite. She and her family had been coming to this soup and sandwich cafe shop for years, and it was the first place she thought of when Draco mentioned lunch. She assumed he wanted her to pick a place since he didn't disapparate them immediately to Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. Once she found the two of them in downtown London, she remembered the cafe, and how much she loved their sandwiches.

"How did you know I'd like this?" Draco asked.

"I didn't become the 'Brightest Witch of our Age' without learning to be somewhat perceptive," she retorted.

"Rub it in," Draco said with a snort.

Lunch between the two of them was relatively quiet, aside from the sounds of closed mouths chomping chips and the carbonation spurt every time one of their Diet Cokes was uncapped. Neither of them had really said much to the other since the weekend - since Astoria's request. While Draco understood his wife's intentions, he felt guilty about what his wife requested of her. Guilt wasn't a standard emotion found in any Malfoy wheelhouse, and the feeling wasn't settling well with Draco.

He watched as she wiped her hands on the stiff white napkin before folding it back up into a straight, neat, square - pressing each edge into the table with her thumbnail - once she had finished her sandwich and chips. "That's where she gets it," Draco said, pointing to her napkin and he let out a laugh.

"Who?" Hermione asked, somewhat confused. "What thing?"

"Anya," Draco said. "She does that little neurotic thing you do with your napkin right there. Drives her mother insane."

Hermione awkwardly laughed as she pushed the napkin away from her reach. "Oh…well, sorry I guess?"

"Don't be," Draco replied. "When Astoria and I were at each other's throats, I often found great humor in it. She does it without even realizing it, much like yourself."

Blushing slightly, Hermione chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh. "Well, I'd apologize for that as well, but you know what I'd say."

"That it's what I get for leaving my children in your care for extended periods of time?"

"Precisely."

An awkward silence fell between them - the first awkward silence between them in what felt like ages. The elephant in the room was thick and broad, unavoidable as it stared at them from every angle. It's why they were sitting in a muggle establishment eating lunch. Draco didn't need more rumors floating around about him, or Hermione for that matter, and he certainly didn't need anyone knowing his wife's latest devastating blow with her health. Scratching the back of his head, he glanced out at the poor souls meandering through the bitter London air as he sat inside the warm cafe before speaking.

"Listen, I know what my wife has asked of you, but I need…I need you to know that I don't, nor do I expect…what I mean to say is that I just, I know how you…fuck. This isn't going right." He wrenched his drink off of the table and nearly snapped the cap off with a twist of his wrist to take a drink as Hermione watched him, not saying a word until he finished. "Look," he finally said, quite hastily as he drummed his hand against the table. "I get that the woman appealed to your inner most Gryffindor like qualities because she's can be quite cunning when she wants to be. But I want you to know that I expect nothing, and I don't want you to go and throw your life away because my wife gave you the world's worst guilt trip and used my children as bait."

Tucking her long brown curls back behind her ears, she looked over at Draco and ceased his drumming by placing her hand on top of his. "Draco…when I said I would help, I meant it. But you have to tell me if you want it because ultimately, you're the parent that's left and I don't want to overstep my bounds with the children or more importantly, be a nuisance to you."

He laughed as he sandwiched her hand between his. "Granger - I hardly find you a nuisance. At least not anymore."

"I'm serious, Draco," Hermione replied with a slight smirk. "Because while I've grown, dare I say _fond _of you at times, I don't want whatever this is between us to retreat back to the way it used to be."

"Whatever this is?"

"I uh…I don't know what to really call it," she admitted as she pulled her hand back towards her, nervously tucking her hair back behind her ears once more.

Shrugging, Draco's thumb began to tap against the table once more. "I'd say we're friends, wouldn't you?"

Nodding, Hermione held her hands in her lap. "I would. I mean, yes. You're my friend."

"You're my best friend," Draco said, not missing a beat as the words tumbled from his mouth.

"Wow…" she said, looking down for a moment.

"What?" Draco asked.

"Nothing…I just…I mean, I don't think I've ever even heard you refer to me as a 'friend' before, let alone your 'best friend.' Should I be worried?"

Draco laughed as Hermione looked up at him, biting her lips to keep from breaking out into a complete smile. "Let's not get all doe-eyed about it or anything," he mocked. "You know we're friends."

"But I'm your _best _friend," she said with an arched eyebrow. "You just said so yourself."

"My only friend, really, so I may as well give you the top spot," Draco added. "So don't go and think you're all special."

Hermione rolled her eyes as a laugh escaped her lips. "Of course not. You only come to me for advice and toss me your children when you can't care for them because of your job…I don't know how anyone could even come to the conclusion that they could be considered _special_ when you put it that way."

Draco crumpled up his napkin with his hand and tossed it Hermione. "Wench."

"Git," she shot right back, along with the crumpled napkin.

Laughing a bit, the unusual pair regained their composure as the awkwardness between them shank slightly. "In all seriousness, Granger, I just wanted you to know that I didn't put my wife up to this, and I don't expect you to give me anything. Of course I am and will be appreciative of everything you do for Anya, Claire, and Scorpius, but I don't need…" He dragged a hand over his face as his words began to fail him once more.

Sitting back in her chair, Hermione tilted her head to the side and read more into the look on his face than what he was saying aloud. "This won't work if you don't need me," Hermione spoke softly.

"I always need you, Granger," he said quickly. "I just don't…I don't want you to think I _need_ you."

"I'm not trying to replace her," Hermione said quietly. "I don't want to replace her."

"But you are," Draco replied. "For the children, of course."

"Of course," she repeated.

"I don't need a replacement wife. Especially considering that I was in the process of eliminating the one I had."

Hermione snorted. "Well, believe me when I say that I've done the marriage thing before, and I'm not in a hurry to try it out again - least of all with someone as irritating as you."

"Please. No one is as irritating as the Weasel."

"You're both irritating in your own right," Hermione retorted, glancing at her watch. "Do you think we have time to stop by Diagon Alley before we go back? There's a book I've been meaning to pick up for Anya to help her with Divination of all subjects."

Draco made a face as he collected their trash from lunch and placed it onto the tray. "I hated that class."

"As did I - but she wants to do well and my copy of this particular book is in storage," Hermione replied. "She's going to have enough of a time trying to focus with everything that is going on, so I figure an extra book can't hurt."

"Very well," Draco replied as he tossed their trash away. Thanking Mister Kirkland as the two of them left, Hermione followed Draco to the first alley they found and reached for each other's hand, disapparating out of the muggle London and into Diagon Alley.

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><p>Landing near Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, Hermione let go of Draco's hand promptly and went to tighten her scarf as the two walked side by side down the alley. Hearing her teeth chatter, Draco pulled his wand from his pocket and cast a warming charm around the two of them, just enough so that it took the bite out of the air. Hermione kept her head down somewhat as they walked, while Draco shot a menacing glare at anyone he considered to be gawking. He didn't know if they were staring because they couldn't comprehend the idea of a former Death Eater and Gryffindor's Princess as friends or if it was because they knew his wife was dying, but he didn't appreciate the stares no matter what the reason.<p>

Nearing Flourish and Botts, Draco reached for the door handle and pulled it open as Hermione walked inside, muttering _finite_ so the warming charm could cease. Inhaling the comforting scent of fresh parchment and books, she couldn't help but smile as she turned around, only instead of finding Draco she ran directly into Ron, who had Lavender hanging on his arm while she held onto the hand of their three year old daughter, Rosie. She went to speak, but suddenly found her voice stuck in her throat as Lavender gave her a smarmy smirk while batting her eyes at Ron.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her back and heard the voice she was looking. "Funny seeing you in a bookstore, Weasel," Draco spat. "Considering the fact that I wasn't aware you could read at all."

"Sod off, Malfoy," Ron retorted, the tips of his ears turning red as he stared at his ex-wife. "Hermione…how, how are you? How have you um, how have you been?"

"Fine," she managed to speak, her heart pulling at places she thought had been mended together, stealing glances at the little girl who looked so much like her father.

"Should we tell them the good news, Won-Won?" Lavender asked in an obnoxiously dreamy voice.

"Eh…Lav, maybe we shouldn't -"

"I'm pregnant again - with _twins!" _Lavender squealed as she showed off her slightly protruding belly that had been hidden by the basket of books she carried. "Little Rosie here is going to be a big sister! We just found out this morning!"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, unable to tell if it was made up of unadulterated emotion or her lunch, Draco sneered at them both over his shoulder as he led her away. "Because that's just what the world needs - more ratty redheads running amuck. You think you would have learned how to prevent it from happening after the first one, Weasley."

"You know what, Malfoy," Ron groused, grabbing ahold of Draco's shoulder and turning him around.

"No, I do not know _what_," Draco snapped as removed Ron's hand from his shoulder with a look of sheer disgust. "But what I do know is that if you come near Granger again, or allow that horrendous wife of yours to rub your 'perfect' family in her face again, you will regret it."

Ron gave Malfoy a shove. "Because you two are so innocent. I've seen you two together. I hear things. Everyone hears things."

Closing the gap between the two of them, Draco's nose was nearly touching Ron's as his voice turned grave. "I have _never_ cheated on my wife. Malfoys are many things, but being _unfaithful_ isn't one of them. Now I _suggest_ you do yourself a favor and _disappear_ before I show you one of the things that Malfoys do _well -_ myself in particular."

He caught Ron swallowing hard and couldn't quite catch what he was mumbling under his breath as he retreated back to Lavender and his daughter. Turning back around, he didn't see Hermione anywhere, but as he remembered their reason for being in the store, he walked towards the section of Divination books in the back and found her standing in front of a bookcase, bracing her hands against a shelf right above her forehead as she stared at the ground.

"Care to share what's so intriguing about these creaky old floors?" he asked, keeping a safe amount of distance between them.

"No, just trying not to vomit on them," she replied as she stifled a sniffle.

"Granger, he isn't worth it. Really - the fact that you hung in there as long as you did only proves just how -"

Hermione choked on a sob. "What? Pathetic? Oblivious? I mean, he was with her for _years_ while we were married. Years, Draco. How stupid can one possibly be?"

Draco took a step closer. "I was going to say patient, because he clearly never deserved anyone like you."

She used the end of her scarf to wipe the tears from her eyes, doing her best to salvage what was left of the eye makeup she put on that morning. "He turned me into such a fool."

"He turned himself into a fool," Draco corrected. "Trust me - when that whole thing unraveled, no one was looking at you. Everyone was gawking at him."

Regaining her composure, Hermione refocused herself on the task at hand, and in a few moments, found the divination book she was looking for - written by someone who was actually a seer instead of the crackpot book written by Professor Trelawney. Professor Trelawney's book merely contained more doodles and random remarks than it did actual information about the art of divination itself. Using the pad of her thumb as she wiped the underneaths of her eyes for a final time, she turned and faced Draco, handing him the book. "This should help Anya."

"Granger…"

"Please?" she asked, her voice scratchy as she swallowed hard. "While I don't usually condone what you said to him, and whatever you did when I left…well, thanks. I know it's been three years, but I rarely see him and when I do, I feel like I'm being punched or something."

Draco smirked, reaching out as he gave a slight tug on her scarf so she'd look up at him. "Seriously, Granger - he isn't worth your tears."

"Funny, that's what Harry says."

"Well, as much as it pains me to say this – Potter's right."

Giving him a weak smile, Hermione dropped her shoulders and exhaled slowly. Before she knew it, she felt Draco giving her a hug, resting his chin on top of her head while her arms hung at her sides. Closing her eyes, Hermione squeezed the tears threatening to form away for the few moments she stood in his embrace.

As he let go, she shoved her hands into her coat pockets and sighed. "Thanks."

"Just don't go advertising it," he teased as they walked towards the front. "I don't normally make it a habit of hugging people on my own free will - unlike you who just willingly launches yourself onto anything that you feel needs comfort."

Hermione let out a laugh as she nudged his arm with her elbow. "You know, I didn't see you complaining the other day when I 'launched' myself onto you."

"Extenuating circumstances," he noted, knowing she was referring to the day he came to her house with the news about Astoria. "Therefore it doesn't count."

"Of course it doesn't," Hermione mocked as they approached the cashier.

Draco handed the owner a couple of galleons and accepted the change as he placed the book in his coat pocket. "You coming over this evening for dinner?" he asked as they walked towards the door.

She shook her head no. "I should probably go and see my parents so they quit bugging Harry about me."

"Are you going to tell them what my wife asked of you?"

"Probably," she replied with a sigh. "I don't make it a habit of keeping things from my parents."

Nodding, Draco reached for her hand so they could disapparate back to the Ministry. "Just…do me a favor when you tell them?"

"What?"

"Make sure they know it's my wife's idea," he replied, his voice almost pleading. "It took your parents a year to get over the fact that I was the asshole that made you miserable in school. I don't want them to think I'm trying to trap you into something, and I rather enjoy that they like me more than they like the Weasel."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione gave him her hand and sighed. "Because at the end of the day, it's all about you."

"Nice to see you finally catching on," he said with a laugh, before disapparating them both back to the Ministry for the remainder of the work day.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Here's Chapter 5 - I'm completely beside myself at all the reviews for this story - and even though I don't say it enough, many MANY thanks! Hopefully you enjoy this chapter just as much as you did the first four!_**

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><p>"Well look at this - the prodigal daughter returns."<p>

Hermione rolled her eyes as Richard Granger greeted his daughter with a hug in the foyer of their home located in the Belgravia neighborhood of London. "Hilarious," she mocked while removing her scarf and coat to hang up in the hallway. "I saw you two weeks ago."

Richard kissed his daughter on the cheek and gave her a hug. "Yes, but that was at Christmas, so naturally, your presence was mandated by your mother. Besides, you know how she gets when you go for days without a phone call at the very least."

Pushing the sleeves of her thin pink cardigan up, she linked an arm with her father as they began to walk. "Though I highly doubt anything's changed with you all since I last spoke with you _four_ days ago on the phone, how've you been?"

"We'd be better if you had been accompanied by two small munchkins and one sassy teenage girl," Richard said with a smirk.

Sighing, Hermione clapped a hand over her father's that gently held her upper arm. "Yes, well, oddly enough, I have a feeling you'll be seeing a bit more of them in your immediate future."

Walking into the kitchen, Hermione inhaled the scent of her mother's infamous chicken and dumpling soup as if it was enveloping the room in a comforting embrace. Jean smiled brightly at the sight of her daughter as she took a seat at the kitchen table, though Jean couldn't help but notice that she looked exhausted as Hermione slouched back in the chair, crossing her arms against her chest. "Are you having issues sleeping again?" Jean asked with a concerned stare.

"No," Hermione replied. "It's just been a long week."

"It's only Wednesday," Jean countered.

"Believe me, Mum, I'm aware."

Jean went back to cutting pieces of dough for the dumplings on the counter as her father sat down next to Hermione, wrapping an arm around her. "Tell Daddy what is wrong," he said, just like he used to when she was smaller. "And we'll fix it."

"I'm not sure you can fix it, Dad," she replied with a sad laugh.

"Pish posh," Richard retorted. He was a tall, lean man with hair that was beginning to resemble that of a salt and pepper mosaic as opposed to the dark brown hair Hermione knew him to have while growing up. If he wasn't wearing dentist scrubs, he was wearing slacks and a button down shirt, despite his mother's best efforts change it up a bit. Even when he was working on the car he was currently restoring in the garage, he wore slacks and a button down, though Richard would swear he'd only wear the ones his wife deemed too worn or stained for public. "Your Dad can fix anything. Well, almost anything. Definitely anything if it comes with a cavity. Your problem wouldn't happen to be about a cavity would it? Because if it does, it means you aren't brushing at _least _twice a day."

Snorting, Hermione shook her head no as she leaned her head against his shoulder. However, if she were honest, she'd take a couple of cavities and a few root canals to boot if it would change the events of the past few days. "No cavities, Dad, and to be honest, I don't even know where to start."

"Try the beginning," Jean offered as she wiped her hands on her apron. Lean and on the short side, like her daughter, she too had long brown hair though the curls Hermione inherited came from her father's side. Jean often kept her hair up in some sort of French twist or bun, but every once in a while, like today, it was down, stopping just short of her shoulders and parted to the side. "If for no other reason than it's often the only good place to start."

Taking her mother's advice, Hermione could hear the entire story spewing out of her mouth before she could censor any of it. She told them about Astoria's healer appointment and how there was nothing more that could be done. Hermione told them about her having a mere six months to live at best, and how it put Draco on edge even more than he already was, while his daughters were devastated. She told them how Astoria asked her to step in, mother her children, and indirectly, take care of Draco despite telling her that there was certainly someone else more suited for the role. Hermione continued to ramble, telling them what Harry and Ginny thought, and about the first proper conversation she and Draco had about the situation itself today at lunch and how she assumed they were both on the same page but she wasn't absolutely certain because of course, nothing was certain about the given situation.

"…and then to completely just top the past few days, I run into _Ronald_ inside Flourish and Botts after lunch with that slag and their daughter and learn that she's knocked up _again_ and this time, it's twins. And being the complete, overemotional wreck that I am when it comes to that idiot, I completely clammed up and Draco practically removed me from the situation. Of course, not before he went back to give Ronald a few choice words that I'm glad I didn't hear because I'm certain I would have scolded him for being rude, even though Ronald of all people deserves whatever foul berating Draco gave to him."

While her mother stood at the kitchen counter, staring at her daughter as if she had grown a third head with the amount of information that seemed to pour directly from her soul, Richard looked at her daughter with a somewhat pensive look. "So…what did you get at Flourish and Botts?"

"Seriously!" Hermione exclaimed with a laugh. "Out of all of that you want to know why I was at the bookstore?"

"Just curious," Richard said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

Hermione turned to her sensible parents, pleading with her eyes as if she was a teenage girl once again, looking for her mother to have the answer to everything. "Surely you must be thinking something a bit more productive, right?"

Wiping her brow with the back of her hand, Jean picked up her pieces of cut dough and walked over to the stove, dropping them into the warm pan. As she washed her hands, she looked back over at her daughter, who was still staring, waiting for an answer. "I guess I'm the one now who isn't sure where to start."

"Try the beginning," Richard teased as he hugged his daughter with the arm still wrapped around her.

"Your father thinks he's hilarious," Jean said with a scoff. "Absolutely hilarious."

"It's why she married me, after all," Richard added.

"It really isn't," Jean replied with a slight smirk. With a hand braced on the counter, she perched her other one on her hip and sighed. "First, I'm so sorry about Astoria. I know you two aren't really friends, but my heart just breaks for those children. I can't imagine what you must have been thinking when she asked you to help."

Hermione crossed one of her legs over the other and nodded. "I felt like the oxygen in the room was being sucked out…and she didn't ask me to just help, Mum. She wants me to literally be their mother. She even asked me to ultimately move into the mansion."

"Yes, I caught that part earlier," Jean replied. "And what did Draco say, exactly? When you two finally talked that is?"

Sighing, Hermione took a deep breath as she began to repeat it all once more. "He said that he didn't need me. Or more importantly, _need_ me. I think he feels like Astoria's trapped me with this request and he was trying to give me some sort of out today, but how am I supposed to just walk away? His children and I have always been close considering my relationship with Harry and Ginny and the fact that their kids grew up together, but these past few years, this past one especially…I mean, how do you tell a dying woman you won't help raise her children? Especially one that doesn't really like you to begin with?"

Jean brushed her hands off on the bottom of her apron once more and sighed. "She must like you well enough to ask for you to essentially become a primary caregiver to her children."

"She knows how I am with her children," Hermione added. "And she was right. I do care for them. I love them even. They've been a large part of my life, especially since the divorce, and especially with everything that has happened with Astoria and her treatments this past year. Claire and Scorpius the most, considering Anya's away at Hogwarts most of the time, but even with her…she's been a mess since the divorce and then the cancer diagnosis but she listens to me, and more importantly, she talks to me."

"And when Draco said he didn't _need_ you…"

"He was talking about me replacing Astoria for him," Hermione said quickly. "He isn't looking for a replacement wife, and to be honest, I'd rather be hexed than marry again, so we're pretty clear in that regard with one another."

Jean laughed as she pulled dishes from the cabinets for dinner. "Well you should have found a way to negotiate _some_ of him into this little deal. Draco Malfoy is an incredibly handsome man…"

"Mum!" Hermione exclaimed, her cheeks blushing slightly.

"I'm just making an observation," Jean replied with a smirk. "Besides, even your father likes him, don't you, Richard?"

Hermione looked at her father, who was not amused at all by Jean's prior insinuation. "You know how I feel about you speaking about our daughter when boys are involved."

"She's thirty two, Richard, and we're not talking about boys, we're talking about men. One man in particular. Big difference. And admit it - you like Draco."

"He's alright," Richard replied, looking at his daughter with a raised brow. "Do you like Draco?"

"We're friends," Hermione said. "Which oddly enough, he actually admitted aloud at lunch. By the way - Mister Kirkland says hello."

Richard's eyes lit up as he removed his arm from around his daughter. "How is Greg?"

"Still making sandwiches," Hermione supplied, not knowing really what else to say about the cafe owner, considering he was their friend, not hers. "Seemed pretty well to me."

"We should go there next week sometime for lunch," Jean said to her husband as she handed him the dishes to set the table and handed Hermione the silverware, just as she'd done ever since Hermione was old enough to help.

Richard nodded as he retrieved his smartphone from his pocket, scrolling through his schedule. "Oh look – we have a half day on Thursday at the office – we could go to lunch after I pull Mister Thornsborough's wisdom teeth."

Jean nodded as she grabbed some napkins from the basket on the counter. "Didn't you already pull those?"

"Nope – you're thinking of his son."

"Ah of course. He's a nice boy, rather good looking – Hermione, would you like us to introduce him to you?"

"Of course not! And could we please focus?" Hermione asked with utter exasperation as she placed the silverware at each of the three settings.

"Focus on what, Hermione?" Jean asked. "You've already made your decision. I can hear it in your voice."

"She has a point, sweetheart," Richard said, agreeing with his wife.

Sighing, Hermione plopped back down in her chair and pressed the palms of her hands into her forehead, her elbows resting on the table. "But even if I have made my decision…I still want your opinion. Even if it's completely against what I'm about to do."

Jean brought over a breadbasket and a pitcher of lemonade to the table, while Richard got up from his chair to retrieve the bowl of salad from the fridge, the front of which littered with pictures from Claire. "Listen - your mother and I worry about you," her father began to say. "Which we're entitled to do, considering you're our only child, regardless of how old you get. With that said…I personally think that what you're doing for Draco, his children, and more importantly - Astoria - is admirable. Not many people would agree to something like this, and quite frankly, it just goes to show how much you truly care."

"But in that same respect," Jean added as she removed her apron, hanging it up on the hook stuck to the side of the refrigerator. "You and Draco need to make sure you have clear rules, and maybe even some boundaries. Because like you said - sometimes, life happens, and if either of you were to meet someone and that relationship were to become serious…I guess what I'm trying to say is that children complicate things, Hermione, and if you're going to make this type of commitment, it's not one you can back out of when things get hard. Moreover, it will get hard - we're talking about a parent dying, grieving children, and a husband who pulled out of a divorce to care for his dying wife. That's a lot of emotional baggage for someone with your given history. Between Ronald and everything you went through during the war…"

"We just want to make sure that you take care of yourself too," Richard interjected, bracing his hands on his wife's shoulders as she took a seat at the table. "Because those children are going to need a lot of tending to, and while he might not seem like it now, Draco will as well. Which means you will have to take care of yourself."

Hermione nodded, understanding everything her parents were saying if for no other reason than it's what she'd been thinking, just not in any sort of logical process. "I understand what you're saying," she promised.

With a trivet in one hand and holding the pan by its handle in her other, Jean brought the chicken and dumplings over to the table and immediately followed with a fresh batch of mashed potatoes. Sitting down, she reached over and grabbed her daughter's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Your compassion for people and ability to forgive is something I find to be remarkable," Jean said softly. "The fact that you and Draco are even friends…it astounds me to this day. I'm not sure if I could be as you are, but I'm proud of it. Always. It should also go without saying that your father and I obviously adore the children, and they are always welcome here. Draco and Astoria as well."

"Yes," Richard agreed. "In fact, I wouldn't mind meeting Astoria. That is of course, if she is feeling up to it."

"I'm sure I can ask," Hermione said, breathing a small sigh of relief. "Maybe we can all have dinner soon."

"Just tell me the date and we will make it happen," Jean promised. "Now dig in you two - and Hermione - I made plenty so that you can take some home with you as well. I'm not enjoying how thin you are looking as of late, because it's not like there was a whole lot there to lose in the first place."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione plopped a heap of mashed potatoes on her plate and rolled her eyes. "Of course, Mum."

**BREAK**

"Dad?"

Holding the book Hermione found for Anya in his hand, Draco sat on the couch in the sitting room, nursing a glass of fire whiskey, oblivious to the fact that his eldest daughter was now in the room, sitting in the chair next to him.

"Dad," she said, reaching a hand out to touch his arm before quickly pulling it back as she startled him.

Nearly dropping his drink, he looked over at Anya and his face softened a bit. Handing her the book in his hand, he reached over and plucked a finger against the tip of her nose, making her grin. "Granger found you this today. It's for that rubbish divination class of yours."

Anya opened the book and began to scan quickly through the contents, already recognizing that there was more worthwhile information inside this small book compared to the thick book she had to lug to the awful class. "Brilliant," she said, closing the book and resting it on her lap. "I hate that wretched class, but at least I might learn something now."

Smirking, Draco set his glass down and motioned for Anya to come and sit next to him. Placing her book on the table, Anya curled up on the couch next to her father, tucking her legs up underneath her and resting her head on his chest as he draped an arm around her, gently rubbing her arm as he sighed. He pressed a kiss to her head before speaking softly, "We need to talk about school."

Nodding, Anya tucked her hair behind her ears. "I know…"

"You go back in a couple of days," he murmured, kissing her head again. "That is…if you want to go back."

Shrugging, Anya snuggled up closer to her father, biting her lips together as she closed her eyes for a moment, a single tear escaping as it trickled down her pale cheek. Astoria walked into the room, hand in hand with Scorpius who was carrying a car in his other hand, looking as content as can be while Claire rushed into the room carrying a book.

"This is the one, Mummy!" she exclaimed. "_Sleeping Beauty_ – Jean read it already to me once but it's the bestest story. Can we read this one?"

Astoria looked over at Draco, nodding at Anya who quickly wiped away the tear with the cuff of her sweater sleeve. "Anya, are you alright?"

Claire whipped around and looked at her sister with concern, her long blond curls bouncing as they were tied back with a large pink bow while Scorpius let go of his mother's hand and toddled over to her, lightly hitting her knee. "YaYa kay?" he asked. "YaYa kay?"

Nodding, Anya sat up a bit and pulled Scorpius up onto the couch, nestling him between her and Draco as he leaned his head lovingly against his sister. "YaYa's ok," she said, ruffling his platinum blond hair.

"Car?" he asked, as if he was offering Anya his most prized possession in hopes that it would make her feel better.

Shaking her head, Anya took the car and drove it up and down his leg, making Scorpius giggle. "Vroom vroom," she whispered, not trusting her own voice at the moment as her brother cackled from the tires tickling his skin.

Astoria walked over and sat down on the opposite end of the couch, reaching out to give her daughter a reassuring pat on the arm as Claire crawled up and sat next to her mother, still holding the old muggle fairytale in her hands. She looked at her husband once more as Anya kept her focus on Scorpius. "We were talking about school," Draco said quietly.

"Oh," Astoria replied as Claire crawled into her lap. "And?"

"We didn't exactly get far," Draco replied, looking down at his son who had reclaimed the car and was now driving it up his chest while buzzing his little red lips together incessantly.

Anya looked over at her mother and blew a few strands of hair away from her face. "I want to go back, but I don't want to go back," she quietly confessed.

Astoria nodded as her hand played with one of Claire's curls. "It's your decision," she replied, while Claire pressed her head gently against her bosom.

"The only decision I want is the one I can't have," Anya suddenly snapped, abruptly halting Scorpius and his car noises as he and everyone else stared at her. "All of this is complete rubbish and I don't want to decide anything!"

"Don't yell at Mummy!" Claire abruptly shouted.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Scorpius climbed up into his father's lap, watching his sisters intently while his parents did their best to intervene. "You don't tell me what to do!" Claire shot back. "You're not the boss of me!"

"Well I'm going to have to be because Mummy's _dying_, Claire."

"Anya Katherine!" Draco boomed, his voice startling Scorpius as he began to cry. Claire on the other hand was in full-blown tears as Astoria hugged her tight, rocking her youngest daughter back and forth. "There is no need for you to so rudely point out the obvious!"

Bolting from the couch, she didn't even bother looking back as she stormed out of the room and towards the double staircase in the foyer. Leaping the stairs two at a time, she ran past a house elf and darted into her room, slamming the door so loud that some of the paintings began to complain loudly.

Back downstairs, Claire was still sobbing as Astoria did her best to calm her down. Scorpius' sobs reduced to whimpers as Draco held him in the crook of his arm, brushing a hand over his hair every few seconds as he distracted him with his car. Looking over at Claire, the muggle fairytale discarded on the empty space between himself and his wife, Draco stared at his daughter with a raised eyebrow until she caught his gaze.

"I – don't – want – Mummy – to – die!" Claire choked out in between sobs. "I – want – her – to stay – here!"

"Claire," Draco whispered as Astoria began to get emotional for the first time in front of him, let alone the children. "Claire Bear," he whispered once more, using Hermione's nickname for her as sobs began to calm.

"Make her better," she cried. "Please make her better, Daddy."

"He can't," Astoria whispered as tears welled up in her eyes. "Mummy wishes he could but he can't, sweetheart. It just…doesn't work that way."

Sniffling, Claire climbed off her mother's lap and grabbed _Sleeping Beauty, _thrusting the book into her father's hand. "When Princess Aurora gets sick, her prince charming comes and kisses her and makes her better. If Mummy's sick, why can't you just kiss her and make it better? You're her prince, aren't you?"

Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, Draco took the book from his daughter and leaned forward slightly, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he kept a firm hold on his son. "Claire," he managed to speak, his voice as even as he could possibly keep it. "Believe me…if I thought a kiss could save your mum, I would kiss her a _thousand_ times."

"A thousand times," Astoria repeated, gently pulling Claire back into her lap as she pressed a kiss to her temple. "That's a lot of kisses, don't you think?"

Claire shrugged, wiping her tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "I don't know!" she practically wailed. "We've only counted up to seventy-three at school!"

Astoria and Draco locked eyes for a moment before both of them burst out into a moment of uncontrollable laughter, wiping the tears formed by their children's grief away as they escaped their eyes. Scorpius, always one to follow the crowd, began to laugh as well, mimicking his father's hand movements as his sister looked at both of her parents as if they had officially lost their minds.

Draco stood up, picking up Scorpius with him as he continued to chuckle. "I'm going to go check on Anya," he said, wiping his eyes once more with his free hand. "You ok?"

Astoria shook her head, reaching for Claire's book. "Leave her be for a bit. She'll be a bit more reasonable once she's calmed down."

"I'm not sure what sort of 'reason' you're looking for out of a thirteen-year-old girl, Astoria."

"Just leave her be," Astoria repeated. "We can look in on her after a bit…we still need to discuss school, among other things."

He knew other things meant Hermione and for a moment, he wished Granger would appear if for no other reason than she was able to get a handle on Anya when she was like this. "Fine," he said with a sigh. "I'll give this one a bath and put him to bed and we can deal with your daughter later."

"My daughter?"

"She certainly doesn't get that attitude from me," Draco stated.

Astoria scoffed, rolling her eyes at her husband. "We'll have to agree to disagree on that one."

"Right - because in this house it's been me that freaks out and storms out of rooms."

"Go bathe your son," Astoria said with a slight smirk. "I have a fairytale to read."

* * *

><p>Anya heard her father walk past her room, his footsteps ceasing for a brief moment before he continued down the hall. Peeking from behind her door, she saw Draco carrying her brother down to his room as he chanted <em>bath<em> with glee. Clad in a pair of fleece pajama pants and a black, long sleeved t-shirt, she waited to hear the sound of running water before darting down the hall and up the back stairs to her father's study. Quietly closing the door behind her, she walked over to the floo and grabbed a fist full of powder, dropping it as she clearly, albeit quietly, announced her destination.

* * *

><p>Perched on top of his flannel bedding, James Potter flipped through his latest edition of <em>Pro-Quidditch<em>, scanning the articles as reporters for each team reviewed the upcoming season and what to expect from each team. He read his mum's article on the Hollyhead Harpies and smiled, always slightly proud when he saw the words _Ginny Potter_ in print. Flipping through the pages to see what was said about his beloved Cannons; James jumped a bit at the sound of his bedroom door suddenly opening and closing. Anya stared at him, her hair pulled back in a high, messy bun, her eyes red and puffy.

"What in the bloody hell's wrong with you?"

Sniffling, Anya walked over and sat down on James' bed, staring intently at the blue carpet on the ground. "Everything, James."

Closing his magazine, James moved so that he was sitting next to Anya, crisscrossing his legs as he nudged her a bit. "Anya…speak," he said, his tone softening a bit. "It's not like we're at school. Come to think of it, we go back next week."

"Maybe," Anya replied, still looking down.

"Maybe? No – we really go back next week. Mum's been counting down the days. Teddy, Albus, and I have been driving her barking mad," James said with a laugh and a nudge. When she said nothing in return, he nudged her once more, a bit harder than before just to see if she'd yell at him. "Alright, now you're scaring me," he stated, as she stayed quiet. "Seriously, Anya – we're not at school. It's one thing to act like I don't exist in the hallways but it's an entirely other thing to do so after sneaking into my room."

Sniffling once more, Anya wiped her tears away with the back of her hand before dropping her head on James' shoulder. Silently, she cried, wrapping her arms around one of his as her upper body became overwhelmed with muted sobs.

James had no idea what to do with a crying girl, unless it was his sister, and when she cried it was because he or Albus told her she couldn't do something. As Anya sobs began to squeak ever so slightly, James realized it had to do with her mother. He was never a fan of Astoria Malfoy, mainly because unlike his own mother, she didn't seem very interested in being a mum in the first place. His mother made him feel smothered some days, but if the alternative were being ignored, James would most certainly choose the former.

"Anya," he whispered. "Anya calm down. Please?"

Her sobs only continued, silently, as her breathing became somewhat labored.

He somehow managed to untangle his arm from her grasp so he could grab her by the shoulders, forcing Anya to look at him. "Anya if you don't calm down I'm going to tell everyone we're friends," he said. "I'm going to climb on top of the Slytherin table, jump up and down like a fool, and scream that you're not only my friend, but you _even_ sneak over to my house."

She shoved a hand into his upper chest. "You – wouldn't – dare," she managed to speak, nearly laughing while crying at the same time.

"I will if you don't calm down," James warned.

Catching her breath, she watched as James leaned over to his nightstand and grabbed a few tissues, which she took from his hands so that she could blow her nose. "Thanks," she muttered, wadding the tissue up in her hand as she wiped the underneath of her eyes once more.

"Mum told me," James said softly. "I'm really sorry, Anya."

"Please…just don't," Anya replied with a sniffle. "I'm going to be hearing it for the next several months and I just don't want to hear it from you."

"Ok," he replied.

Anya crawled behind him and sprawled out on his bed, hugging a pillow as James turned around to look at her. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she said, reaching for some more tissue. "One minute I'm perfectly fine and then the next I'm making Claire cry, yelling at my mother…who is acting nicer than she ever. I mean, she started acting nicer when she found she had cancer but now that she's dying it's completely surreal."

"Maybe it's her way of dealing with it?"

"She invited Hermione for dinner the other night. _And_ she talked to her afterwards. _Alone_."

"Seriously? Aunt Hermione and your mum? That's bizarre."

"Yeah. My thoughts exactly."

James scratched the back of his curly haired head and made a face. "What do you suppose they were talking about?"

Anya shrugged. "I was told to take Claire and Scorp upstairs, so I don't know."

"That is a bit…odd," James replied. "Maybe Dad knows something? I can ask him if you want."

"I don't care." Sighing, she closed her eyes and suppressed a yawn. "I'm sure I'll find out eventually."

Silence fell in the room for a bit, as James occasionally reached out to comfort Anya by lightly rubbing her back. Certain that Anya fell asleep, James carefully stood up from the bed and grabbed the blanket at the end, gently draping it over top of her. As he leaned over her to grab his pillow, she heard him mumble his name.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I don't want to have to take care of my siblings," she mumbled weakly. "I don't want to take care of my dad." Sniffling, she used the tissue in her hand and wiped the corners of her eyes before looking at James. "Does that make me a bad person?"

James tossed his pillow underneath his arm and pulled the blanket up so that it reached her shoulders. "I don't think it does," he replied.

"Sometimes I wish my mother wasn't my mother," she confessed.

Reaching under the lampshade, James turned off the lamp on his nightstand and gave Anya's shoulder a squeeze. "Yes, but if she wasn't your mother, you wouldn't be you…which would be quite the tragedy."

"Sarcasm noted," Anya mumbled, her eyes closed once more.

"Go to sleep," he whispered.

He waited a few more minutes, standing over her as he watched for her breathing to even out a bit before sneaking out of his room. Quietly closing the door behind him, he walked downstairs and Teddy, Albus, and Lily watching a movie. Dropping his pillow on the empty side of the sectional couch, Ginny and Harry walked into the room carrying popcorn and drinks for everyone.

"What's with the pillow?" Teddy asked, taking the popcorn from Ginny. Lily was perched in his lap, holding a stuffed bear. He had been staying with them during their final week of holiday break, much to everyone's enjoyment. James wouldn't have been surprised if he took up permanent residence at their house by the end of school, considering Lily asked their mum every day if he could move into the room next to hers.

"Anya's in my room."

Teddy barked out a laugh. "Anya Malfoy? In your dreams, maybe."

Harry and Ginny turned around and looked at James. "Again?" his dad asked.

"Whoa – what do you mean, again?" Teddy asked with intrigue. "Are you serious about this? Anya Malfoy is in your bedroom right now?"

"Teddy," Ginny said in a warning tone. "This doesn't leave the house. You hear me?"

"She glares at you at school as if you've got boils on your bits!" Teddy hissed. "Don't tell me you two –"

Harry picked up a pillow from the couch and smacked Teddy with it. "Small ears!" he exclaimed, nodding at his daughter. Albus was completely oblivious to the conversation as his eyes were glued to the telly.

"We aren't _anything_," James said with a glare. "And if you say anything about her being here, Teddy, I swear I'll –"

"Will you two be quiet!" Albus cried. "I'm trying to watch a movie here!"

"He won't say anything," Ginny said, staring at Teddy with a look. "Will you?"

Frowning, he settled back into the couch as Lily leaned into him, mindlessly popping popcorn into her mouth. "I won't say anything, James."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

With a small sigh of relief, James looked up at his dad and shrugged. "If you give her a few more minutes, I'm sure you can floo back over without Anya waking up. She was really upset, Dad. And exhausted."

Nodding, Harry sat down next to his son and wrapped an arm around him. "You're a good friend, James."

Ginny agreed, kissing his forehead. "This is going to be a hard term for her. I know she isn't all that pleasant at school…but if you can be there for her, you should."

"If she goes back," James said. "I guess that's what started whatever it was that happened. I didn't get much out of her – just that she made Claire cry in the process."

Harry stood up from the couch, giving his son another pat on the shoulder. Ginny followed him as they walked out of the room and up to the second floor. Quietly, his wife opened James' door, both of them peeking in as they saw Anya sound asleep, softly snoring. Opening the door a bit wider, Harry scratched the back of his head as the two of them watched her sleep for a moment. "Maybe we should just leave her be?" he whispered.

"Draco will have a stroke," Ginny whispered back. "It'll make whatever this is worse."

Harry sighed, knowing Ginny was right. Softly, he walked into the room and carefully rolled her over. Her arms moved like dead weight, signaling that she was asleep. Pulling his wand from his pocket, Harry levitated her just a bit and carefully wrapped her arms around his neck as he carefully cradled her. Despite being a thin girl – all arms and legs as Hermione would say – Ginny cast a feather light charm on Anya, knowing that she felt as if she weighed more than the hundred pounds in Harry's arms while asleep.

"Thanks," he whispered, kissing Ginny on the cheek as he felt the hold on Anya become a bit easier. "I'll be back in a bit."

* * *

><p>Draco had just finished putting Scorpius down to sleep, closing his son's door behind him when he heard the floo flames whoosh from upstairs. Looking down at his clothes, he pulled his wand from his pocket and muttered a drying spell, convinced that he managed to carry half the bath with him after his son spent a good half hour splashing the soap bubbles about. Assuming it was Hermione, he stood against the hallway and waited for a moment for her to come down the stairs. Instead, however, he saw Harry carrying his daughter.<p>

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Draco said with disbelief.

Shrugging as best as he could, Harry motioned for Draco to open Anya's door with a nod, and Draco complied without saying a word. Following Harry, he walked around him in the dimly lit room and pulled her bedding back as Harry gently laid her down. As Harry stepped back, Draco pulled her bedding back over her and pressed a kiss to her temple before the two men walked out of her room, quietly shutting the door behind them.

"Don't give her too hard of a time," Harry said as they walked back up towards Draco's office. "If my house is the place she goes when she's upset, she could do worse."

"I swear she's trying to kill me," Draco muttered.

"The curse of having a daughter – at least that's what Richard used to say about Hermione."

Draco let out a pretentious snort. "I highly doubt Hermione used to sneak out of her parents' house when she was a teenager."

"No, but she did _oblivate _her parents memories for a year while we hunted for horcruxes," Harry replied. "Just be glad my son is terrified enough of you to tell me when she sneaks over."

"Yes," Draco said with a slight smirk as he extended his hand to Harry. "Let's just hope he doesn't grow out of it?"

Accepting the gesture, Harry chuckled slightly. "I think as far as Anya's concerned, James might always be just a little bit afraid of you."

Draco crossed his arms against his chest and shook his head. "James…he's a good kid. I mean, he puts up with Anya, which may make him better than me some days. She's been all over the place this past year and now with Astoria…"

"Hermione told us," Harry said quietly, looking Draco in the eye. "We told James – about Astoria, that is. Not about Hermione…"

"We haven't told the kids about it yet," Draco said, leaning back against his desk as he sighed. "I thought we might tonight, but Anya exploded at Astoria and stormed out of the room."

Harry watched as his former childhood enemy looked just as haggard and on edge as he did during their sixth year. "I know we aren't the best of mates…but if Hermione is willing to help you all through this and you let her, you'll be fine. It might not seem like it now, but believe me…Hermione has this way of just making everything better."

Draco nodded, fixing his gaze on a random spot on the wall across the room. "I'm not sure anyone can make this better, Potter."

"Well, if anyone can, it's her," Harry said. "Ginny and I – if you need help, or a break from the kids, please just ask. Or don't ask – showing up is fine. We won't mind."

Turning his attention to Harry, he gave him a final nod. "Thanks."

As Harry went home through the floo, Draco let out an exhausted sigh, not wanting to deal with his daughter in the morning. Walking out of his office, he walked down the small flight of stairs and found Astoria leaving Claire's room, holding a handkerchief in her hand as she dabbed her eyes. Approaching her, Draco reached out and gently pulled Astoria into an embrace, which she didn't fight. Astoria turned in his arms, burying her face into his chest as her quiet tears soaked through his shirt as he rubbed his hands up and down her back.

"Maybe I shouldn't have moved back in," he heard Astoria mumble. "Maybe it's too hard for them to see me every day."

Draco shook his head, even though she couldn't see. "They need to see you every day – for as many days as they can."

Composing herself, Astoria pulled back a bit, as Draco's hands moved up to her shoulders. "I should probably talk to Anya."

"She's asleep," he simply replied, not wanting to wind up Astoria any more by telling her about their daughter's little adventure. "You can speak with her tomorrow."

Leading her back to her room on the other side of the second floor, Draco opened her door and flicked on the light, watching as his wife shed her robe. Her pajamas looked like a tent on her, which was as impressive feat considering that Astoria was a small woman to begin with. But all the medicines and all the potions had caused her to lose a good amount of weight throughout the past year, which was noticeable through most things Astoria wore as of late.

"Draco?" Astoria asked as she sat down on the bed, removing her headscarf as she revealed her bald head with black fuzzy patches in some places.

"Yeah?" he asked back.

"Will you…will you just...stay with me until I fall asleep?" she asked, her voice shaking with each word.

Draco took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, shutting her door behind him as he removed his shoes and popped the top two buttons of his dress shirt before loosening the knot in his tie. Quietly, he walked over and helped Astoria into bed, covering her just as he did their daughter moments ago before walking around to the other side of the bed. Lying on top of the comforter, he moved so that there was still a fair bit of distance between them, pulling his wand from his pockets to shut off the lights. Both of them staring at the ceiling, Draco heard Astoria stifle a small sniffle.

He reached out for her hand, lacing his fingers with her as their conjoined hands filled the empty space between them.


	6. Chapter 6

**_In all reality, this could have been a part of Chapter 5, but when I finished the Draco/Astoria scene, I just felt like it needed to end there. It's a bit shorter than my usual chapters BUT things should start to pick up during the next chapter, so hopefully you aren't all too bored, or find any of the pacing off._**

_**I'm also working on a fanfiction blog (hence the lack of updating this week) so hopefully I'll have that ready soon!**_

* * *

><p>When Anya woke up a quarter 'til midnight, she found herself disoriented for a moment before realizing that Harry brought her back to her house as she was in her own bedroom. Rolling over, she found her father lying in bed next to her, hands folded against his chest, legs crossed at his ankles, while he stared up at the ceiling, still in his regular clothes. Yawning, she stretched her arms above her head and waited for her dad to open his arms, which he did, as she curled up next to him, his arm hugging her close.<p>

"You can't keep sneaking over to James' room," Draco said, his tone quiet but stern.

"I know," she said.

"I know you're upset, Anya, and believe me when I say that I am upset for you – all three of you. But these outbursts simply cannot continue."

"I know," she repeated, stifling a sniffle. "I'll apologize to Claire. I promise."

Draco sighed as he felt Anya's arms slip around him, hugging him tight as he felt her tears slowly soak into his shirt. When Anya was smaller, Draco would often slip into her room and night and sleep with her after having a major row with his wife. His eldest had him wrapped around her finger the moment she was born, the nonsense of not producing an heir drowned out by the way she would look at him, or how her cries would instantly calm the moment she was placed in his arms. A lot of the time Draco and Anya found themselves alone while Astoria would mourn for 'the life she was supposed to have,' by doing anything that required her to be out of the house.

"_Daddy? If the baby in Mummy's belly is a boy, will she love me less?"_

_Draco looked at seven-year-old Anya as she held a tea party between herself and her throng of stuffed animals in her room, watching as he sat against the pale green wall of her room. "Mummy loves you," Draco said._

"_I'm not sure she does," Anya replied, fluffing her dress up clothes and fixing too big, lace gloves she wore on her hands. "Miss Ginny – she always gives me hugs and she gives Jaime and Albus even more hugs. And Miss Hermione – she always gives me kisses and tells me how much she misses me even if I just saw her the other day. Mummy doesn't do those things."_

"_Your mum loves you, YaYa," Draco said, not sure as to whom he was trying to convince. "She just has a different way of showing it."_

_Anya looked over at her father, handing him a plastic teacup and saucer. "But she didn't want me. She wanted a boy." She looked over at her father, pushing the oversized hat up so that it wasn't resting in her eyes. "Will you love me less if the new baby is a boy?"_

"_Absolutely not," Draco replied, taking the cup. "I will love both you and your new brother or sister the same."_

_Grinning, Anya stood up from her circle of animals and walked to her father, crawling into his lap as she gave him a hug. "Don't tell Mummy, but I hope I get a sister."_

"_Don't tell Mummy, but I hope you get a sister, too," he said, shaking his head at the large, plastic set of pearls that Anya had around her neck._

_Anya grinned as Draco gave her a chaste kiss on the tip of her nose. "Can we go to the park today when we're done with the tea party?"_

"_When is the tea party over?"_

"_Whenever I say so."_

_Draco wiggled his eyebrows as Anya giggled. "Is it over now?"_

"_Nope," she replied, popping the 'p' with her pretty pink lips._

Draco lightly scratched his fingertips at the nape of her neck as he felt her relax a bit against him. He felt for Anya more so than Claire and Scorpius, if for no other reason than the fact that she was older, and understood what was happening around her. Astoria was just as distant with Claire as she was with Anya, but Claire was five when Astoria was diagnosed, and while she didn't understand her mother's change in demeanor, Claire embraced it whole-heartedly, because all Claire wanted was for everyone to love her, regardless of who they were. She was an affectionate child, always considerate of people and their feelings, and Draco could only assume it was due to Hermione's influence as consideration and affection weren't traits found in the Greengrass or Malfoy families.

"I don't want to go school, because someone has to take care of you guys," Anya cried softly. "And I don't want to stay because I don't want to take care of you guys."

"YaYa," Draco whispered, hugging her with both arms now as she sniffled, burying her face into his chest.

"I hate that she's nice," Anya continued, crying as she sat up a bit, a hand pressing into Draco's chest. "She ignored us, she didn't even want us when you two were getting a divorce! And now she's dying and she's nice and I hate her for making me care! I wanted her to get better because I thought she might stay this way but now she isn't getting better and she's caring even more and it isn't fair!"

"Shh," Draco whispered as Anya collapsed back against him, clutching his nightshirt as she sobbed. "I know it isn't fair. If you want to go to school then Granger can arrange for you to come home on the weekends if you'd like, or if you want to stay then between Granger and I, we can keep you up with your studies. You don't need to stay and take care of anyone."

Sniffling, Anya wiped her eyes and looked up at him. "If I don't take care of you then who will?"

"I'm an adult, Anya, I don't need anyone to take care of me. I'll take perfect care of Claire and Scorpius, just like I always have," Draco replied, brushing his daughter's tears away. "Besides, Granger will be around."

Anya never understood why her father called Hermione by her last name. She asked Hermione once why her dad always referred to her as Granger last year when she, Claire, and Scorpius were at her parents' house making Christmas cookies

"_I uh, well, I guess it's what he's always called me." Hermione said, handing Claire a tree shaped cookie-cutter for the dough that was rolled out on top of the kitchen table._

"_But don't you think it's strange? You don't call him Malfoy." _

"_I used to," Hermione said, picking up Scorpius so that he could 'help.' Anya watched as Hermione set the car shaped cookie cutter on the rolled out dough and helped press Scorp's down to cut out the shape. "Your father and I…we weren't really friends growing up." _

_Jean, who was standing at the counter making icing, laughed. "What's so funny?" Anya asked._

"_They despised each other," Jean said, still laughing. _

"_It was a long time ago," Hermione added as Anya caught the glare she shot her own mother._

"_Grandma Jean, these cookies are stuckted to the table!" Claire exclaimed, struggling to pick up her cookies from the middle of the dough._

_Jean walked over with a small bowl of flower, pinching some between her fingers as she sprinkled them on top of Claire's hands, helping her rub them together. "See - now your fingers aren't sticky and you can just…pick them right up." _

_Anya looked over at Hermione, plucking Scorpius' cars and handing them to Jean so she could place them on the cookie sheet. "Did Dad…did he tell you about…" _

_Hermione looked up at Anya sympathetically as she kissed the back of Scorpius' head. "Yes, sweetheart, he did."_

"_Oh," Anya said, watching her sister, oblivious to the conversation as she helped Claire pick up her cookies. _

"_If you want, we can talk about it in a bit? Once the cookies are in the oven," Hermione offered. _

_Shrugging, Anya collected Claire's scraps of dough on the table and began to knead it back together before rolling it back out with the pin for her to cut more cookies. "Just you and me?" _

"_Just you and me." _

Bolting upright, Anya crisscrossed her legs and used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe her tired eyes dry. "Why was Mum talking to Hermione the other day?"

"She just was," Draco replied through a yawn. "You know I don't ask questions about why your mother does things because the answer usually irritates me to no end."

"Yes…but Mum doesn't like Hermione. Even James thought it was a bit odd," Anya replied with a sniffle.

Draco looked at his daughter, and let out a frustrated sigh. "If I tell you – you can't go and freak out like you did earlier. Which, might I add, will no longer be tolerated inside this house." Propping himself up a bit, he scratched his jaw and watched as Anya gave him a nod promising a better sort of decorum than what she'd been currently displaying. "Your mother," Draco declared, speaking clearly as he punctuated his words, "has asked Granger to help once she is...gone."

Anya furrowed her brow. "Hermione already helps."

"It's a big bigger than just 'helping', YaYa," Draco said. "Your mum wants Granger to care for you and your siblings as if…as if you three belonged to her."

Yanking her hair elastic from her hair, Anya shook out her hair a bit before kicking her feet back under the blankets. She moved so that she was nearly horizontal in bed, resting her head on one side, right over her father's heart. His words bounced around in her head, as she absorbed the entirety of the request. Closing her eyes, she felt her dad run his finger through her hair, lulling her back to sleep. "It's kind of dumb, if you ask me."

"Dumb?"

"What Mum asked Hermione to do."

Yawning, Draco exhaled as he rubbed his eyes. "Why do you say that?"

"Because Hermione always has," Anya said with a sigh. "She doesn't know any other way."

It didn't take long for Anya to fall asleep, and Draco kept his eyes close, gently stroking her hair until he was certain she was moveable without waking. With a little bit of magic, he was able to levitate her just enough to slide out from underneath her, replacing himself with one of her pillows as he gently lowered her back down to the bed. Quietly, he snuck out of her room and checked in on his other children, as he did most nights. Scorpius was sound asleep, clutching his blanket in one hand while he sucked his thumb, a habit he need to break him of sooner rather than later. Inside Claire's room, he found her sleeping with a book of all things. Carefully, he lifted his arm and removed what was her princess picture book - princesses being her obsession as of late - and placed it on her nightstand.

Retreating to his study, exhausted beyond measure but unable to sleep, Draco pulled some reports from his briefcase and sat down at his desk, though it was useless as his concentration was shot. He kept hearing Anya in his head, crying as she confessed to hating the sick version of Astoria. Not that he could admit it aloud, but deep down, he felt resentment towards her as well. He could have stayed married to this version of Astoria, and found ways to make her laugh and enjoy her company instead of avoiding her like the plague for fear of starting another pointless row. _Death gives people a different perspective, _he heard Hermione's voice say inside his head, and even though she was right, as she reminded him of this often, it didn't change the fact that Draco was starting to genuinely like his wife for the first time since they'd been married and deep down, much like his daughter, he was beginning to somewhat resent the sentiment.

* * *

><p>With an afghan over her legs, Hermione sat in the dark, the glow of the telly illuminating the living room as the clock ticked closer to one o'clock. She couldn't sleep, not for nightmares but because she couldn't get her brain to shut off for five seconds. <em>As long as I'm in bed by three<em>, she told herself, knowing that she could survive a full day's work as long as she had four hours of sleep in her while she automatically flipped through the channels every few seconds if for no other reason than it gave her something to do.

Around the seventh lap through the umpteen channels in her cable lineup, a large crack towards the back of the condo caused her to scream as she whipped around, wand gripped tightly in her hand.

"Someone's a bit on edge," Draco said as he walked into the light with a tired smirk on his face.

Clapping a hand to her racing heart, she sent Draco a slight stunner with her wand, ignoring his yelp before dropping her wand to the ground. "Don't you _ever_ do that to me again, Draco Malfoy! Honestly! What in the bloody hell is a matter with you!"

"Ow, goddamnit! I couldn't sleep!" he winced, shoving his hands into his pockets looking positively rumpled in the previous days apparel – his shirt untucked, his necktie nonexistent.

"What if I had been sleeping!"

"You weren't."

"But what if I was!"

"I had the good sense to apparate outside of this building before popping in," Draco argued. "I saw the glow of the telly through the window."

Sighing, Hermione went back to her channel surfing, placing a throw pillow next to her as Draco plopped down on the sofa, dropping his head on the pillow as his feet hung over the arm of the couch. As close as they could be without touching, Hermione handed Draco the remote as she yawned, propping her head up with a hand as he found the twenty-four hour football channel before putting the remote down on the ground.

"I think this game was on last time," Hermione said, covering her mouth as she yawned.

"You think?"

"Yeah," Hermione said. "Because this guy here does some sort of celebratory backflip right about…now."

Draco laughed a little bit as the player on the screen flipped before he was hoisted up into the air by his teammates, right on cue. "Do you think there are games on this channel we haven't seen yet?"

"Probably not," Hermione replied. They watched a few more minutes of the game in silence, both of them growing drowsier yet unable to give into the need for sleep. Shifting slightly in her spot, Hermione grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and draped over Draco. "Mum and Dad say hi."

Nodding, Draco turned his head, tilting his head back to look at her. "How did that go?"

"Fine," Hermione said. "They'd like to meet Astoria, actually. If she's up for it."

"You're joking."

"Not really. How was your night?" she asked with a sarcastic laugh.

"Well, Anya had a meltdown, making Claire and Scorpius cry, and then she snuck off to Potter's house, which I wasn't aware of until Potter himself carried her back home through the floo. She fell asleep in James' room. _Again_. Once I had her returned, I laid with Astoria for a bit, who was upset because the children were upset and I'm telling you Granger," he said with a heavy sigh. "There is so much energy in that house – it might be unsteady magic, it might be sheer emotion – but whatever it is, it's setting me on edge and making me feel as if I am on the verge of physically exploding."

Hermione reached out and gave his upper chest a light pat with her hand. "I can imagine."

"It's fucking miserable."

"I know," she said, letting her hand linger for a moment before pulling away.

Rolling over onto his stomach, Draco buried his face in the pillow for a moment before facing the television, the screen blurring a bit as he felt his eyes get heavy. As he felt Hermione's fingers press into his neck, he felt himself relax for the first time since he came home from work. "Will you help…talk to Anya about school," he said, wincing a bit as her thumb began to knead one of the many knots from the muscles where his neck met the tops of his shoulders.

Hermione yawned, watching the telly as she continued to rub his neck. "I can come over after work."

"Maybe while you're discussing school, you can reiterate my message regarding…how inappropriate it is…to sneak over to a boy's house…even if it is James Potter."

Laughing, she moved her fingers towards the other side of his neck. "Hello Pot. Meet Kettle."

"You know I hate it when you use muggle phrases," Draco groaned as she found another knot.

"I'm just saying, it's hard to tell her not to sneak off to James' house considering where your are right now."

Draco looked up at Hermione, utterly confused. "It's _completely_ different. We're…friends. Grown adults. Completely different scenario. "

"And they're just friends, you know, as long as they aren't in public together," Hermione replied. "She obviously found some comfort in going over there, just like you do coming here."

"She's just a child."

"I'm not saying she isn't."

"She shouldn't be sneaking off to a boy's room. I know what teenage boys think - I was one."

Hermione laughed. "A dreadful one too if I remember correctly. Besides - James rats her out every time. I honestly doubt you have anything to worry about."

"Damn it, Granger – it's the principle of it all!"

Giggling, Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth as she threw her head back, her body shaking as Draco stared at her. "Of course it is!" she exclaimed. "Do you honestly think I would encourage her to sneak over to a boy's house - even if it is James? Give me a little bit of credit, for heaven's sake!"

Draco gave her leg a shove before dropping his head back on the pillow. "I defend you against the Weasel and you decide to repay me by mocking me after the day I've had? Honestly, Granger, I thought you were a bit more sensitive."

She slid her hand further down the back of his shirt, scratching her nails against his skin as she began to knead her fingers once more into his overly tense muscles. "I'm sorry," she said.

"You don't sound sorry."

She let out a laugh. "I am – I'm just tired and punchy. You're not the only one who had a less than stellar day."

He hesitated for a moment before sitting up to look at Hermione, recognizing she looked as exhausted as he felt. "Granger if this is all too much -"

"As much as you think everything is about you, it isn't," Hermione said, clicking her tongue as she sighed. "I can't even believe I'm admitting this to you, but when I run into Ron like I did today…and the half dozen or so times I have since our divorce, it just…"

He went to make a snarky remark about his least favorite person in the world, but could see that in this very moment, as she stared off to the side with a hand over her lips, that she wouldn't see any humor in his usual jabs. "He never deserved you," Draco offered instead, resting a hand on top of her knee, still hidden under the afghan.

She shook her head, biting her lips together as they continued to be covered by her hand. "I just want it to not hurt," Hermione finally confessed. "It's been three years for Merlin's sake and I just want to be able to see him and feel nothing instead of the betrayal and disappointment that lingers for days. I see him with this life I begged and pleaded for…and when I see _her_ all I can wonder is what she did different. What could _she_ have possibly done different for him, when I did everything for him." Facing Draco, she ran a hand through her hair, shaking her fingers through the mass of curls and let out a pathetic laugh. "Sorry. I know you came here looking for a break and -"

"It's fine," Draco said, leaning into the couch, crossing his arms against his chest. "I've comforted every other female I currently keep company with this evening - why should you be any different?"

Hermione playfully nudged him with her foot as it popped out from under the afghan. "Git."

"Wench."

Hermione stretched her legs out so that they were sticking out from under the blanket, draped across Draco's lap as she yawned. Kicking his feet up on the coffee table in front of them, Draco slouched against the couch, clasping his hands together against the back of his head. "Do you still have tomorrow and Friday off?"

He didn't even bother covering the yawn that escaped his mouth. "Yes."

"Ok," she mumbled.

"Why?"

"Just curious," Hermione answered. "I'll come over after work tomorrow and talk to Anya…and I'll request to have Friday off so we can get her sorted with whatever she decided to do regarding school."

Draco sighed, dropping his hands on top of her bare legs still setting in his lap. "Alright."

"Draco?"

"Yeah?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him, sighing a bit as she played with the fringe along the edge of the blanket. "Thanks…for saying he didn't deserve me."

"I meant it," Draco replied. Sighing, he lifted her legs slightly and climbed off of the couch, rubbing his eyes in vain as if it would erase some of his exhaustion. "Thanks for letting me escape for a bit."

"No problem," Hermione replied, tossing the afghan off of her as she let Draco help her up off the couch. "You can use the floo…no sense in waking up your entire house by apparating."

He nodded, moving towards the hallway as she followed. Walking into her small study, Draco turned around before he stepped into the fireplace, watching as she stood in the doorway, leaning against it in her tank top as she adjusted the straps of her short black nightdress. "What would you have said if someone told you fifteen years ago that I'd be standing in your house in the middle of the night?"

She laughed. "I'd ask them to share whatever it was they were smoking. Good night, Draco."

"Good night, Granger."


	7. Chapter 7

_**This is probably - in all of the things I've ever written (college creative writing classes included) - one of the more difficult things I've constructed. For those that aren't a fan of the slow pacing, this story will begin to pick up a bit in terms of time, I promise. I don't think I've ever written anything with such complex emotions from various characters and while I've enjoyed the challenge, I really want to be as authentic as I can to the story line, if that makes any sense.**_

_**Anyway...without further ado - another chapter awaits!**_

* * *

><p>"I heard you had a visitor last night."<p>

Harry looked up from his desk and laughed as Hermione walked in, carrying two tall cups of coffee. Taking the cup, she extended to him as she sat down across from him, he couldn't help but notice that she looked a bit worse for the wear. "Should I be worried?" he asked, popping the lid off his coffee to see if it was too hot to drink.

"Worried?" Hermione asked, her free hand tucking her hair back behind one ear, then the other. "About Anya?"

"Well, yes, I mean, I'm worried about her, but I'm actually referring to you," Harry clarified. "You look like a zombie."

She gave him a cheeky smile before taking a sip. "I was up late last night."

"With a nightmare?"

Rolling her eyes, Hermione crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in his visitor's chair. "No, _Dad,_ it wasn't a nightmare. I just couldn't sleep." She took another drink, wishing for the caffeine to kick into her system soon. "I um, saw Ron yesterday."

Harry reclined back in his own chair and sighed. "Yeah - I heard about that."

"You did?"

"We were all at the Burrow last night for dinner," Harry replied, treading carefully with his words. "You know…you know how they like to get together to uh, make announcements and such."

Hermione raked a hand through her hair somewhat vigorously, as she fluffed it in the back, staring at Harry. "You obviously know I know she's pregnant. Again. It's alright if you say it - I won't spontaneously combust into flames…or, well, at least not today."

Fiddling with the cardboard sleeve around his cup, Harry couldn't help but eye his best friend as she tried her best to appear as if the news didn't affect her. "If it makes you feel better, Ginny sat there looking thoroughly unimpressed the entire evening."

She let a wry laugh escape her lips as she took another drink. "I wish it did…but she's his sister. She's perfectly entitled to be excited, and she should be. They're family."

"So are you," Harry added. "George, of course, added fuel to the fire by mentioning your name every chance he could. I think he was purposefully trying to see how many times he could say your name before Ron blew his top. I thought Lavender's fork was going to be permanently embedded in Molly and Arthur's kitchen table with the state she was in."

Hermione smirked. "That I feel fine laughing at. How high did he get?"

"Thirteen," Harry replied with a chuckle. "Speaking of thirteen - I thought Draco was going to have a conniption when he saw me bring his daughter back to the house."

Placing the lid on her coffee, Hermione gave it a gentle couple of swirls with her wrist, trying to eliminate some hot spots before removing the lid to take another drink. "Like I told Draco last night - there are far worse places that child could be sneaking off to. Despite her outward disdain when the two of them are in public, Anya clearly feels some sort of comfort when she's with James, which I can't really blame her for. After all, I cannot count how many times you've let me cry on your shoulder without judgment, and most times, you don't even have to say anything to make me feel better. Just knowing you care is enough."

Harry set his coffee down on his desk, leaning his elbows on the hard wooden top as he perched his chin on top of his clasped hands. "Well, she could still be a bit nicer to him at school."

"Which is something I plan on discussing with her this evening," Hermione promised.

"I appreciate that," Harry replied, collecting papers from his desk as he tried to make sense of what reports he had to sign off on and which reports needed to be filed. "How did you know Anya was at the house, anyway?"

She chewed on her thumb for a moment, letting Harry's question hang in the air like a lead balloon for a moment. Was it common knowledge that she and Draco had an odd friendship? Certainly. Was she aware of some of the more outrageous rumors about her and Draco in recent years? Of course - some of them were hard to miss and if she were a betting woman, she'd lay 10-1 odds that some of them originated from her assistant's desk. But they were never together in public after or before normal business hours, and his frequent late night visits to her condo was not something either of them discussed. However, trying to make up a lie to Harry was about as successful as lying to her parents. "We um, well, sometimes…Draco sometimes comes over to my place late…at night."

"Late at night?" Harry asked, his voice rising just a bit as did his eyebrows. He picked up his wand and with a flick of his wrist, the door to his office slammed shut. "Hermione please don't tell you two -"

"Heavens no!" she exclaimed, furiously blushing at his insinuation. "Honestly it's not like that at all! Sometimes he just needs a quiet place to think, and it's been incredibly stressful at his house so once everyone is in bed for the evening he just…pops over for a bit."

Harry laughed. "He goes to your house. For peace and quiet? How ironic…"

"Who says we talk!" she shot back.

Smirking, he wiggled his eyebrows at her as she exhaled a disgusted scoff. "So much like Victor Krum, Draco isn't particularly…what was the word you used…loquacious?"

Her nostrils flaring slightly as her cheeks blushed a deeper shade of red, she looked at everything in his office but him as she composed her words as he smirked back at her. "Just because Draco isn't here to get under my skin doesn't mean you have to take his place, you know."

"I'm just teasing you, Hermione," Harry said, giving her a genuine smile. "I gave up figuring you and Draco out years ago."

"There's nothing to figure out," Hermione replied, somewhat hotly as she relaxed back in the chair. "We're friends. We share an assistant. Did I ever think he'd become a daily part of my life? Of course not. But he is, as are his children, and…sometimes, when he comes over to escape, I just…" Hermione knew she wasn't explaining herself well, as evidence by the bemused and slightly confused look on Harry's face, so she found something more relatable. "Remember when it was just you and me, tirelessly trying to figure out where to make our next move in searching for the horcruxes?"

Harry nodded, pushing his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. "Sort of hard to forget, considering it was just you and me for a bit of time there, yeah?"

"Right," Hermione replied. "Remember those nights were we just sat there, said nothing, because being in each other's company was all we really needed, whether it was while you watched Ginny's footsteps on that map for hours or when I was upset about Ron?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, giving her a serious nod.

"Well, that's all it is," Hermione said, her tone losing its edge.

Harry sighed, removing his glasses and dropping them on top of a pile of paperwork in front of him. "I just worry about you, Hermione. I can't help it. I stand by what I said the other night when you told us about Astoria's request - and to be honest - even if she hadn't asked, I think you would have done it anyway because it's just who you are. I just don't want you to be alone, you know? You're a bright, beautiful, brilliant…I just want you to be happy."

Hermione nodded, leaning forward as she reached out for one of his hands, which he happily took as he gave it a squeeze. "I don't mind being alone, Harry," she said with a smile. "What I mind is feeling lonely, but when I'm with those children, or sitting in the dark watching a football match I could care less about while saying nothing to Draco as he sits next to me…I feel anything but lonely. Feeling lonely and being alone are two different things."

Squeezing her hand again, Harry let go and smiled at his best friend, his glasses returning to his face. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Does it allude to an improper relationship with Draco Malfoy?"

He laughed. "No, it does not."

"Then yes," she happily replied. "Ask away."

Harry took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly as the meaning of her words settled within his consciousness. "Were you…what I mean to say is, when you were married to Ron. Were you lonely?"

Hermione bit her lip for a moment as she looked down at her coffee, then back to Harry with a sad smile. "More than I care to admit."

* * *

><p>Scorpius was in a terrible mood all day. Neither Draco nor Astoria remembered either of their daughters being as miserable as their son when they were teething. His answer to everything was no - regardless of the request - and all he wanted was to be coddled by his mum. However, today wasn't the greatest of days for Astoria. On the continuum of what her healer described as having good days and bad days - today was a bad day. Her potions merely took the edge off the aches and pains in her joints, and all she wanted to do was nap because if she sleeping, she wasn't feeling. When she was left alone with the children before she was sick, their looks of disappointment when she said 'no' to playing tea part and 'no' to coloring had little effect on her emotions. However, for every 'no' she said, to Claire in particular, she felt her guilt build. Especially considering that her husband - who looked like he barely got more than three hours of sleep but still crawled down onto the floor and plastered a smile on his face as he played "tickle monster" with Claire. The game even peaked her son's interest, as it was the first thing he hadn't say 'no' or screamed at with disdain all day.<p>

Draco kept telling her as they went from specialist to specialist, healer to healer, that he couldn't raise the kids alone. That he refused to do it by himself. But from where she sat, she couldn't figure out where she helped in terms of parenting - other than feeding them and making sure they were still alive by the time he came home from work. Draco - he could come home from a two-week mission looking positively knackered, ready to check out from the world for the next twenty-four hours but instead he'd find it in him to stay awake, looking interested, and doing whatever the children wanted as they missed him terribly when he was away. When they started their divorce proceedings, and then with the cancer diagnosis, Draco scaled back and essentially tethered himself to deskwork so that he would have reliable hours. She might have stayed home all day to be the primary caregiver, but it was Draco who assumed the role, even when his workload was double what it was now.

"Oh no!" Draco exclaimed, holding his son in the air with his hands on his waist as he pretended to drop him on Claire, their giggles combined echoing throughout the house. "Here he comes!"

"Gen!" Scorpius squealed, reaching out for Claire and laughing as Draco would abruptly pull him away. "Gen Daddy! Gen!"

"Again?" Draco asked, as Scorpius nodded with glee.

"No! It's my turn!" Claire exclaimed. "I want to be the monster!"

"No!" Scorpius exclaimed. "Me! Me gen!"

"But what if Claire wants to be the tickle monster?" Draco asked, trying to reason with a two year old.

"No!"

"Scorp, I want a turn!" Claire exclaimed, trying to get him to change his mind.

"No!" Scorpius shouted once more, successfully wriggling out of his father's grasp as he ran over to Astoria, colliding into her legs with a thud. "Up! Up!" he cried, reaching for Astoria who reached for him, trying her best not to wince as her son dug his feet into her legs as he hugged her, upset that he was no longer getting his way.

Anya walked by, popping her ear bud from her ear as she listed to the latest album from Lizard Wizard on her iPod. She'd been rather scarce all day, not saying more than a few words to anyone. Not because she didn't want to, but because her father told her to lose the outbursts, and the only way she knew to control them was by saying nothing. Passing through the room, she noticed her mother struggling more so than usual with Scorpius, wincing as she tried to get control of him as he squirmed. Quickly, she popped her iPod in her back pocket, walked over, and picked up Scorpius. "Mum, what's wrong?" Anya asked.

"I'm fine," Astoria replied.

Anya shook her head. "You don't look fine."

Draco looked over at Astoria, as he was still on the ground playing with Claire, and saw that his wife was doing a horrible job of masking whatever pain she was in with a smile. "Astoria, what is it?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine," she repeated. "I'm just…a bit sore today."

"It's nearly five o'clock, and you're just _now_ mentioning this?" Draco asked as he stood up, glaring at her. "I would have done something!"

Astoria returned the glare. "I hardly thought I'd have to mention it considering that I haven't moved from this spot all bloody day! I took my medicine and my potions. They aren't working well today, which the healer said would happen. I don't have more scheduled to take until this evening - so quit looking at me like that because I am _fine_."

"Astoria you can take more pain potions -"

"Which will knock me out and then I'm in bed all day," she countered. "I know what I can take and I know what I can do and excuse me for trying not to spend the remainder of my time asleep - I'll have plenty of time to sleep when I'm -"

"Mother!" Anya screeched in horror before Astoria could finish her flippant remark.

Draco and Astoria both froze, the two of them fighting just as they used to without any regard as to whether the children were within earshot of the conversation. "Anya…" Astoria said, her voice soft as her eldest stared back, completely appalled.

She shook her head, not wanting to have a conversation. "Claire," Anya said instead. "Come on - let's go upstairs until Hermione gets here."

"But I want to stay down here with Mummy," Claire argued.

"Claire," Draco said, his voice gentle but firm. "Go with your sister, please. Daddy needs to talk to Mummy."

His youngest daughter looked up at her father as she stood up, smoothing out her dress-up princess dress she'd been donning most of the day. "Don't yell at Mummy," Claire whispered, hugging her little arms around his waist.

"I won't," Draco promised, giving her back a loving pat before she let go, scampering off with Anya as they retreated up to the second floor. Walking over to Astoria, he removed the blanket covering her legs and wrapped an arm underneath her legs.

"Draco what are you doing?" Astoria asked as he helped her reach her arms up around his neck before lifting her from the couch. "I'm not going to bed if that's where you're taking me."

He stepped over the coloring books and cars on the floor and walked through the house, taking her up the back staircase, as it was the quickest route to her room. "I'm not taking you to bed," he replied, slowly climbing each step. "You are going to soak in a warm bath and take another pain potion."

"I don't want another pain potion."

"You don't get to vote," he said, nudging her door open with his arm as it was already ajar. Carefully, he set her down on the bed and walked into the adjoining bathroom, wrenching the faucets on until it was hot enough to tolerate. Reaching for some soap on her vanity, he poured in a healthy dose, watching it bubble as the tub filled. Entering her bedroom, he returned with uncorked pain potion, ready for her to take. "You haven't taken a potion since this morning - this isn't going to make you lethargic. Take it."

"Draco -"

"Take it," he repeated.

With a sneer, Astoria took the potion from his hand and downed it in a quick gulp, slightly gagging at the horrendous aftertaste that stained her mouth. "There. Happy?"

"So happy, that once you're in the bathtub, I might even kick my heels up with _joy_," he sarcastically quipped.

"You are unbearable today," Astoria replied, handing the empty vial back to Draco.

"Yes, because I'm only trying to take care of you," Draco exasperatedly said with a sigh. "Do you need help getting undressed, or getting into the tub?"

She needed help, but wasn't about to admit it aloud. Undressing herself wasn't the problem so much as was getting in and out of the deep claw tub that insisted fourteen years ago to be placed in every bathroom on the second floor. The cancer was weakening Astoria's ability to do magic with each passing day and she was no longer strong enough to levitate herself with the aid of her wand. "You realize helping me means you have to see me naked?"

"Considering there's indisputable evidence that we've had sex _at least_ three times running around the house as we speak, I don't think I'm going to be shocked at whatever is underneath your robes," he tried to tease.

Astoria looked away, biting her cracked lips together as she did her best to keep her composure. "Draco I…"

"Tori," he whispered, carefully removing the robe she'd been wearing all day over her dress for an additional layer of warmth. "I wasn't trying to be insensitive," he whispered. "I'll be right back."

She waited, using her wand to unzip the back of her dress as he reappeared with a towel. "What is that for?"

"Your dignity, of course," Draco replied, unfolding it as he held it out, covering his face.

"So what, I'm just supposed to get into the bath wearing a towel?"

"It can be removed once you're submerged..."

"That's ridiculous," she said, shrugging out of her dress as it dropped to the floor.

Draco dropped the towel from the front of his face as she stood there in a slip with a pair of knickers on underneath. "Could we please acknowledge that much to your general resistance, I _am_ trying," he said, looking her directly in the eye. He had no desire to see how she had physically changed any more than her fear of him seeing the change up close and personal.

Sighing, Astoria slid her arms through the straps of her slip, the latest pain potion beginning to dull the pain in her joints as Draco held the towel in front of his face once more. Once she was completely naked, she reached out and took the towel, securing it tightly around her emaciated frame. "Thank you," she said, walking past him, albeit slowly, as he followed her into the bathroom. Cautiously, he picked her up once more and set her into the tub, completely forgetting to push his own sleeves up as he placed her in the bath. Shutting off the faucet, his sopping hands reached for his wand as he muttered a quick drying spell over himself. "I no longer hate this idea," she mumbled, leaning back as her neck rested against the rounded edge of the tub.

"I'll be back to check on you in twenty minutes."

"Make it thirty," she replied, exhaling a content sigh.

"Twenty five," Draco compromised before leaving her in the peace and quiet she resisted to seek throughout the day.

* * *

><p>Hermione wasn't expecting to be assaulted the moment she apparated to the front door of the Malfoy Mansion, but as the door flew open before she could even knock, it nearly gave her a heart attack.<p>

"Where have you been!" Draco exclaimed. "You said you were coming over after work and work ended over an hour ago!"

Catching her breath, Hermione walked inside, thrusting the plastic bag she had in her hand as she gave him a thorough smack upside the head. "I was at work, you bloody lunatic – since I'm taking the day off tomorrow I stayed late to make sure everything was in order and further more – that is the third time in two days you have caused me to nearly jump out of my skin! What were you doing, stalking the bloody door?"

"Yep," Anya called out from the living room.

Hermione hastily removed her gloves, shoved them into her coat pockets before removing her scarf, and then said coat. "You're ridiculous some days, I swear."

"Good thing I have you around to remind me," Draco replied, peering into the bag. "Ice lollies! Brilliant!"

"They're for your son," Hermione stated, dropping her coat on the bench near the door before snatching the bag back. "I got the ones made with real fruit, so they're somewhat healthy, and I figure he might eat something if he has one of these first…maybe the cold can numb the sore spots in his mouth just a bit to eat some actual food. Mum suggested it." Placing her purse on top of her coat, she walked into the living room gave a wave to Anya, quickly scratching the top of the girl's head as she walked around the couch. "Where is everyone?"

"Mum's resting, Claire is probably upstairs changing into _another _princess play-dress, and Scorp is probably with her, trying to gnaw on her plastic dress-up shoes," Anya recited.

"Harby!" Draco announced, the house elf promptly appearing out of thin air.

"Yes Master?"

"Please take those ice lollies to the kitchen and place them in the freezer box," Draco instructed.

Harby walked over and smiled at Hermione, taking the bag from her. "Of course, Master. Harby is very excited to see Misses Granger. Is Misses Granger hungry? Harby can prepare a plate quickly if Misses Granger likes."

She smiled at the elf. "That sounds lovely, but I actually ate on the way over. But thank you so much for the offer."

"Very well," Harby replied before disappearing to the kitchen.

Hermione gave Anya's feet a pat, her long legs lifting on cue. As Hermione sat down, Anya dropped her legs into Hermione's lap, dog-eared the page she was currently reading, and closed the book. "Well, what do you think so far about _Alice in Wonderland_?" she asked.

Anya smiled, holding the book in her lap. "I like it. I'm at the part where she's getting ready to enter the garden."

Grinning, Hermione gave her slender leg a pat. "You're getting to one of my favorite parts. You'll have to let me know what you think once you've reached the end." Walking past the couch, Draco reached a hand down, giving Hermione's shoulder a telling grasp. Hermione grazed her hand over his briefly as she took the book she gave Anya. "You should think about this story as it relates to you," Hermione said. "See what similarities you can find."

"Between me and a fairytale character?" Anya asked. "I think that's a bit farfetched, don't you?"

"I'm going to go check on Astoria," Draco said quietly, pulling his hand away.

"Give it a bit of thought, and you might be surprised," Hermione replied while acknowledging Draco with a nod. As Draco disappeared, Hermione handed the book back to Anya and sighed. "School or James."

"Excuse me?"

"School or James," Hermione repeated. "Which conversation do you wish to have first?"

Anya whined, leaning back as she stretched her arms up over her head, not wanting either conversation, especially not the latter. "School," she finally groaned, leaning back against the arm of the couch as she looked at Hermione.

Hermione reached out and grabbed Anya's hand, gently tugging her upright. Anya obliged, bending her knees over Hermione's lap as she contorted her body so she was sitting against the back of the couch, her head resting on Hermione's shoulder as Anya hugged her arm. "How are you feeling about school right now?"

"Truthfully…I don't know," Anya replied. "I feel like I'm making the wrong decision no matter what I choose."

She listened as Hermione repeated the options her father mentioned to her last night, noticing that they were similar in the sense that it was apparent the two of them had discussed these plans previously. "Leave, coming home on the weekends, or staying here all together – it's entirely your choice. However, I will say this – learning at home will take a lot of discipline. Learning independently is much harder than learning in the classroom, even if your father and I help you," Hermione said.

Anya nodded, hugging Hermione's arm a bit tighter as she sighed. "If I leave…I'm going to miss seeing my mum being the mum I always wanted her to be. But sometimes when she's the way she is now, I feel so angry. Why couldn't she just stay the same? Making me care isn't fair, Hermione."

"Death changes people's perspectives," Hermione softly replied as she rubbed a soothing hand on Anya's leg.

"Death triggers a maternal instinct, but having children doesn't?"

Hermione shrugged, leaning her head against Anya's. "Your mother loved you the only way she knows how…and you shouldn't hold it against her."

"Why not?" Anya asked.

"Because…people are a product of their environment," Hermione explained. "Not everyone knows how to change, and a rare few actually change successfully after years of doing, thinking, and believing in just one way." Sighing, she reached for Anya's hand and held it in hers. "It usually takes an epiphany of magnificent proportions to induce change - especially in an adult. Unfortunately for your mum, her epiphany came in a moment when time became her enemy."

Sniffling, Anya looked up at Hermione, closing her eyes briefly as she felt her thumb brush a tear away. "What do you think made Dad change?"

Hermione smiled, brushing her fingers through Anya's hair as her palm grazed her cheek. "Oh…I think his was an accumulation of events," she honestly replied. "But I do believe you had a lot to do with it."

_Staring through the glass of the nursery at St. Mungo's, Hermione watched all of the babies – some of them content as they were snugly swaddled in their plastic beds, while others were already vehemently voicing their displeasure as a member of the real world. Looking over at the bin labeled POTTER, she smiled as a content James just stared, content with where he was. She couldn't get over how much he looked like Harry, with the exception of his eyes – he definitely had Ginny's eyes. _

"_Where's the Weasel?"_

_Startled, she looked over and saw an exhausted, yet happy Draco Malfoy standing next to her, donning the same throw away robes that Harry was wearing earlier. "He's getting lectured by his mother about us not having any children yet. Did Astoria…"_

_Draco motioned to the baby swaddled in pink, her crib next to James. "Isn't she beautiful?" he whispered._

_Hermione looked over to the baby crib labeled MALFOY and was surprised she didn't recognize the name placard sooner. "She? Astoria had a girl?"_

"_Much to her displeasure," Draco bluntly replied. "But…just look at her. She's so…"_

"_Perfect?" Hermione offered with a smile._

_Nodding, Draco smiled as he watched his daughter. "Yes. Perfect. Even if she shares a birthday with the Potter spawn."_

_Rolling her eyes, Hermione continued to watch the babies in the nursery, her heart desperately longing for one of her own. _

"_Granger?"_

"_Yes, Malfoy?"_

_He cleared his throat, looking at his childhood nemesis as he waited until she faced him to speak. "I'm…sorry. For being an ass to you the moment we met. I'm sorry for the hateful things I said, for going out of my way to make you miserable…for everything. Truly."_

_Hermione was completely taken aback at how sincere the words sounded coming from his mouth. The war was over and they all worked at the ministry, but their interactions had been limited to curt nods of acknowledgement, at best. "Where is this coming from?"_

_Draco's gaze returned to his daughter as he caught the attention of the nurse, who was motioning for him to come inside the nursery. Walking to the door, he put his hand on the doorknob and looked back at her. "Granger if anyone even attempted to treat my daughter half as badly as I treated you, I'd kill them, and I've only known my daughter for three hours."_

_For the first time in all the years she'd known Draco Malfoy, she found herself speechless in his presence._

Anya wiped her eyes with the cuff of her sweater sleeve as she let go of Hermione's arm, which she let wrap around her as Hermione hugged her close. "Dad told me what Mum asked you," she whispered.

"Did he now…" Hermione murmured, not sure of what else to say.

"I'm glad she asked," Anya confessed. "Because…I want to go back to Hogwarts and try coming home on the weekends, but I didn't want to leave Dad alone."

Nodding, Hermione hugged Anya, rocking slightly as she felt Anya relax a bit in her embrace. "Your father can take care of himself."

"He really can't," Anya said between a sniffle and a laugh.

"I guess it could be debatable," Hermione compromised with a laugh of her own. "I think going back to Hogwarts is what's best for you right now, and if we have to re-evaluate the plan, then we'll cross that bridge when we arrive to it, alright?"

"Ok," Anya replied.

"Now, about Mister Potter…"

"I already promised I wouldn't sneak over there anymore," Anya replied, still seeking comfort in Hermione's arms. "I'll ask first from now on."

Hermione laughed. "Well, that's all fine and dandy – considering the fact that you should _always_ ask before leaving the house. However – I think you need to start being a bit nicer to him at school, considering the fact that if you asked him to, he'd do anything for you. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Hermione…it's not that I don't want to be friends with him because…I am friends with him. I just – my Slytherin friends can't stand him and it's only because his last name is Potter so they refuse to get to know him…and if I'm friends with him at school then my house mates will be insufferable."

"Yes…" Hermione trailed, peering down at Anya as she reluctantly returned the gaze. "But right now, with everything that is going on, I would think that you'd be better off with one true friend who cares for you no matter what than a bunch of mouthy teenagers that are only nice to you if you do what they do. Plus – he genuinely cares about you, and deserves to be treated better."

Anya nodded, understanding Hermione she felt her arms release. Untangling herself, Anya swung her legs over Hermione's lap and placed her feet on the floor, pressing her palms into her knees. "Do you think James would stop being friends with me?"

"Truthfully, probably not," she answered. "But Anya, the boy will eventually realize he can only tolerate so much. I'm not saying you have to be best friends at school like you are over the summer or during break, but you could be nicer."

"Alright," Anya replied. "I'll try and be better, Hermione, I promise."

"Don't try," Hermione said as she heard the pitter patter of footsteps coming towards them. "Just be better."

Before Anya could answer, Claire and Scorpius made their entrance, clamoring for Hermione's attention. Scorpius lunged at lap, Hermione sliding her hands under his arms so she could pull him up for a proper hug while Claire did several twirls in a blue costume dress as she donned a plastic tiara with matching pieces of plastic costume jewelry. "I'm Cinderella!" Claire exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air once her final twirl was complete.

Hermione nodded, hugging Scorpius as he laid his head on her shoulder. "The most beautiful Cinderella," she added, moving a hand to feel Scorpius' cheek and forehead, both of which felt slightly warm to her.

"Can we see Grandpa Richard and Grandma Jean this weekend so I can show them?" she asked amid another spin, as they were the benefactors of her newly acquired princess attire.

"Don't call them that," Anya quickly exclaimed in a hush. "You know we don't call them that when Mum's around."

Claire clapped her hands over her mouth. "Sorry!" she gasped. "I forgot!"

"Call who what?" Astoria asked as she walked into the room, Draco following her close.

"Nothing," Anya quickly replied, grabbing a blanket as she moved off the couch so her mother could sit down.

Hermione moved over so that she and Astoria were now on opposite ends of the sofa. "Anya has made a decision about school," she said, assisting in changing the subject. She didn't mention anything when Anya brought up Hermione's parents the other night at dinner, but Hermione knew that despite their new understanding, blow-ups had occurred between Draco and Astoria due to rare moments where one of the daughters slipped and used 'Grandma' or 'Grandpa' in reference to Hermione's parents. A thought slipped Hermione's train of thought last night at Jean's suggestion of a dinner with everyone.

Nodding, Anya looked over at her mother as she sat back down between Hermione and Astoria, looking up at her father who stood in front of them. "I'm going to go back if you can arrange it with Headmistress McGonagall that I can return on the weekends…"

"And then we'll see how it goes from there," Hermione finished.

Draco exhaled a sigh of relief – this was the option he was hoping she'd choose. He tried to read Astoria's face to see what she was thinking, and he couldn't help but get the impression that she seemed disappointed. "I'm certain we can work something out. You only have morning classes on Fridays, so I'm sure we can arrange some sort of travel once they are finished."

"Mum…are you ok with this?" Anya hesitantly asked.

"Of course," Astoria replied with a smile. "It will be nice to have you here on the weekends. Maybe on days that I'm feeling good we can go out – just you and me."

"Um…alright," Anya said, trying not to get her hopes up, given past experiences.

Still holding Scorpius, Hermione stood up and walked over to Draco. "He feels warm, yes?" she asked, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead. "Has he been like this all day?"

Mimicking Hermione's hand gestures, Scorpius moved his head away from his father's touch. "No!" he shouted, pushing his hand into Draco's arm.

"He's cutting those last two teeth in the back," Draco said, ignoring his son's batting hands as he pressed his hand to his forehead. "He's been slightly warm all day. It was a fight just to get him to eat dinner."

"Ow," Scorpius said as he heard the word teeth. He lifted his head and looked at Hermione, opening his mouth. "Ow."

With a finger, she felt back in the back of his mouth and felt his swollen gums where the molars were pushing through. "Ow is right, Scorp," she cooed, removing her finger from his mouth. "No wonder you're so snuggly."

"Clingy," Astoria corrected. "He wanted to be held all day long and it was simply _exhausting_."

"That's because you aren't used to cooperating," Anya replied, wincing slightly as the harshness of her tone as both Draco and Hermione gave her the same disapproving look.

"Maybe," Astoria plainly replied, her fingers playing with the edge of the blanket in her lap.

"Maybe…everyone needs an ice lolly," Hermione mused aloud, changing the subject once more as Anya continued to look somewhat remorseful with her words.

Claire clapped her hands as Scorpius' attitude brightened – ice lollies were always a hit with Scorpius no matter his mood. "Do you bring red ones?" she asked, as she too was a fan of the frozen treat.

"There's red ones and green ones and purple ones…" Hermione said as she walked with the two younger ones towards the kitchen, Claire jumping and skipping along the way.

Draco took Hermione's seat on the couch and nudged his shoulder into his daughter. "Just can't keep it in, can you?"

"Mum I didn't mean –"

"Anya, I might not be the world's greatest parent, but I've known you long enough to know you rarely say things you don't mean," Astoria replied, catching her daughter's gaze. "I simply meant exhausting because I wasn't feeling well today, not because I was irritated."

Anya sighed. "I'm sorry, Mum. Really."

"Apology accepted," Astoria replied, though she was still a little bit hurt by her daughter's blunt assumptions, especially considering her overly harsh attitude these past few weeks. "Now, can someone please explain to me what an 'ice lolly' is?"

* * *

><p>After the third consecutive yawn from both Scorpius and Claire as they sat against Hermione on the couch reading <em>Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump<em>, Hermione looked to her immediate left at Draco, sitting between her and Astoria while Anya sat on the floor, her back to the couch as she listened to the story she could cite from memory. Her dad used to read it to her every night before bed when she was little, before either of her siblings was born.

At the end of the story, Hermione closed _Tales of Beedle the Bard _as Claire slumped over towards Draco. "I think its bedtime," she whispered, brushing a hand over Scorpius' head as he yawned once more.

Draco agreed, collecting Claire, still clad in her Cinderella gown, into his arms. He looked over at Astoria, sitting with a crinkled tissue in her hand as she absently stared at the wall across the room. "Tori," he said, nudging her leg with his knee as he stood. "Are you feeling up to taking Scorpius to bed or do you want Hermione do it?"

She continued to stare at the stare at the wall, waving him off. "She can take him."

"Hey," he said, nudging her leg again, Claire hanging like a rag doll in his arms. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," she blankly replied.

He was half-tempted to give her shin a thorough kick, but resisted the urge. "Fine," he muttered, turning his back to Astoria. "I'll show you his room," he said to Hermione as he motioned for her get up with his son.

"Actually," Hermione said, resituating a sleepy Scorpius in her arms. "Anya, could you take your brother instead?"

Nodding, Anya climbed off of the floor and picked up Scorpius, thankful that he was already in his pajamas because if he wasn't – waking him up to change his clothes would have been a bear of a fight. "Like a sack of bricks when he's asleep," Anya groaned, adjusting her hold on him as she followed her father out of the room.

A slightly less awkward, or less awkward than the usual awkward, silence fell between the two women. Tossing the back of her hair slightly, Hermione turned and tucked one leg up underneath her, facing Astoria as she continued to stare. "What are you thinking?" she asked.

She gave her head a slight shake. "Trust me, Hermione, you don't want to know."

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't genuinely interested," Hermione quietly replied. "You look…upset."

"I'm jealous, Hermione," Astoria practically spat, continuing to stare at the wall, her gaze currently fixated on the ornate detailing of the light fixture mounted near the fireplace. "I don't wish to discuss it."

Nodding, Hermione stood up from the couch. "I'm sorry. I'll just - if you'll tell Draco that I needed to get back -"

"I didn't say I wanted you to leave," Astoria bitterly interjected. "I'm just channeling my eldest by speaking whatever I'm thinking at the moment, and at the moment I feel jealous."

"Alright," Hermione whispered, unsure if she should sit back down or remain standing.

She'd seen Hermione with the children countless times before, but never inside her house - or, well, more appropriately - Draco's house. Tonight felt different. Tonight felt more…intimate in a way, and Astoria found herself feeling like a voyeur instead of the reluctant matriarch that she was. Tonight she found herself looking directly at the very scenario she wanted, and it didn't make her feel like she thought it would.

Taking a seat in a chair, giving Astoria a bit more distance, Hermione scratched the side of her neck with her nails. "If I…if I did something, Astoria, I didn't mean to -"

"You did exactly what I expected you do," Astoria said, cutting her off once again. Looking at Hermione, she crinkled the tissue in her hand a bit more. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "I should probably be thanking you for speaking with Anya about school…I broached the subject last night with her and her father and she went stark raving mad."

"Teenage girls…" Hermione said with an uncomfortable laugh, clapping her hands together as she broke the silence once more. "There aren't enough galleons in the world to make me go through that experience again."

"I agree," Astoria replied with a hint of a smile. "Merlin help Draco when Claire becomes a teenager. I fear she could be worse. Between the Draco and me, our children unfortunately come with the predisposition to be high maintenance. Of course, I'm sure you already knew that."

Grinning, Hermione nervously tucked her hair back behind her ears. "I promise to blame that and any other…quirks your children may have entirely on the Malfoy gene pool."

"Thanks," Astoria softly replied, tugging slightly on her headscarf.

"What am I getting blamed for now?" Draco asked as he entered the living room.

Astoria and Hermione exchanged a knowing glance. "Nothing," Astoria replied as Draco stood behind the couch, looking down at her.

Not used to having Astoria and Hermione in the same room with each other, talking, and now with a secret, Draco couldn't help but feign a shiver as he glanced at both of them. "Now I just feel nervous."

"Good," Hermione quipped.

He rolled his eyes at Hermione before turning his attention to Astoria. "I went ahead and took the liberty of getting your medicines and potions ready," Draco said in a hushed tone.

Removing the blanket from her lap, Astoria slowly stood up, not feeling nearly as sore as she did earlier in the day but exhausted all the same. "Did Anya go to bed?"

"I believe she said something about a shower," Draco replied.

"Alright," Astoria said. "I think I'm going to turn in as well. Hermione?"

"Yes?"

She made eye contact with the one person she never thought she'd ever find herself envious of, and nodded. "Thank you."

Hermione returned the nod, standing up as she felt like it was the proper thing to do. "Sleep well, Astoria."

Draco looked to Hermione. "I'm going to help -"

"No," Astoria cut Draco off with a hand on his arm. "I'm fine. I'll see you in the morning."

"Astoria…"

"I'm fine," she reiterated. "Promise."

"Alright," Draco replied, not daring to argue with her in front of Hermione. He leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Call for an elf if you need me. Please."

"Of course," she replied as she left the two of them alone.

How Astoria managed to keep her composure until she reached her room was beyond her comprehension. The moment she shut the door, the tears pooling in her eyes as she walked spill down her gaunt cheeks uncontrollably. Ripping the scarf from her head, she threw it out of sight in disgust, doing her best to suppress the sounds of her sobs by retreating to her bathroom. Her potions unplugged, she tossed each one of them back, each taste more bitter and foul tasting than the prior.

There were moments where Astoria wasn't sure who she was jealous of more - the children or Hermione – and how they always seemed to gravitate to each other. A day filled with observations, she watched her husband dote on the children despite his obvious exhaustion. She watched Anya barely speak five words until Hermione arrived and then suddenly have an abundance of things to discuss. Scorpius did nothing but wiggle and move in Astoria's arms today, as if he couldn't make up his mind as to if he wanted to be held but the moment Hermione held him, he was content. And Claire…that child showed Hermione nine different ways to curtsey in her princess dress and she watched every single one of them, giving insightful remarks as Claire made mental notes before deciding which curtsey to use if she ever found herself in front of Prince Charming.

As the potions began to take effect, she felt her senses calm and her body relax while she changed into her nightgown. Crawling into bed, Astoria pulled the blankets over her and used her wand to shut out the lights. In the darkness of her room, tears returned to her eyes. _The children will be happier with Hermione_, she told herself. _Draco – will be better with Hermione_. As her tears traveled fresh tracks down her cheeks, Astoria soon realized that she no longer feared dying, or having her family love Hermione more than they loved her. Being loved less, needed less – that she could handle.

What she couldn't stomach was being forgotten.


	8. Chapter 8

**_I was going to break this chapter up into two pieces, but then decided against it figuring I might as well keep whatever happens in a day in a chapter...which was how the chapter grew to be 10,000+ words - most of which were written from the time I came home from work 'til now. I hope you enjoy!_**

* * *

><p>With a doll named 'Claire' under her arm, her owner of the same name walked into her father's room and crawled up the two wooden steps so that she could reach the high, four-poster bed where her father was sleeping. Or more appropriately, snoring. Putting pretend Claire down, Claire crawled over towards the middle of the bed and laid on her stomach, just as her father was doing, pulling the pillow off the top of his head and giggling as a loud snore caught her off guard.<p>

"Daddy," she whispered, poking a finger into his cheek.

Draco mumbled, his face twitching as Claire continued to poke him. "Stop poking me," he mumbled.

Giggling some more, Claire pushed her wild, unbrushed hair away from her face as she poked him again. "Daddy," she whispered again.

"Claire…if you poke me again I'm going to bite off your finger," Draco mumbled.

"You said that last time," Claire said, her face pressed against the cool satin sheets as she gave her father's cheek a pat.

Draco cracked an eye open and saw Claire's cherub face smiling back at him, grinning in a way that only a Malfoy could. "One of these days I might mean it," he warned, reaching an arm out as he pulled his youngest daughter closer to him. "Is your mother awake?"

"I don't think so," Claire said, kissing Draco's cheek. "Anya made me and Claire come and get you."

"And why, exactly, is your doll's name Claire again?" Draco mumbled, closing his eyes again Saturday had been just as exhausting as Friday, with Astoria not feeing any better. His night was once again spent tossing and turning instead of sleeping. "It's awfully confusing."

"Nuh uh," Claire replied. "She's _pretend_ and _I'm_ real."

Draco opened his eyes, kissed the tip of her pointed nose and sighed. "Well how do I know that _you're_ not the pretend Claire?"

Sighing dramatically, Claire wrestled out from her father's grasp and sat up, pushing more hair out of her face. "I'm not pretend because I'm talking. All pretend Claire does is blink her eyes, and that's only if you shake her…but Grandma Jean, I mean, Jean says we shouldn't shake dolls because it's not nice…even if it's funny to make her blink super fast."

Draco stifled a laugh as he yawned. "We're going to see Grandma Jean today."

Her eyes brightened. "Really! Can I wear my princess dress!"

"Maybe we can wear real clothes, and take your play clothes with us," Draco attempted to compromise. "It's too cold outside to wear just a princess dress."

"But I can change when I get there…right?"

"Yes," Draco replied, dreading the start of school for her on Wednesday, back in her green and blue plaid jumper and tights instead of a Belle costume.

Claire snuggled closer to her father. "Will Mummy be mad if we go?"

He kissed her cheek. "Mummy's coming with us. Grandma Jean and Grandpa Richard want to meet her."

"But…what if I accidentally call her Grandma Jean and make Mummy sad?"

"I've already talked to Mummy. Everything will be fine," Draco reassured his daughter. Promise." Draco replied, tickling the bottom of her bare foot with a finger, smiling as she giggled. Loudly yawning, he sat up and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes for a moment before shaking the remainder of sleep in his head away. "Now, why did Anya send you and pretend Claire up here?"

Claire, suddenly remembering her initial purpose for waking up her father, jumped to her feet on the bed and wrapped her arms around her father as he reciprocated her embrace. "Aunt Daphne is here and Anya told her to leave and Aunt Daphne said no so Anya said that if she didn't leave she was going to wake you up and then Aunt Daphne said she didn't have to leave because she was a grown up and that Anya was the child and then I told Aunt Daphne not to yell at Anya and then Aunt Daphne said -"

Draco wasn't really processing any of Claire's rambling after she first uttered the words _Aunt Daphne_. With Claire in his arms, he all but leapt out of bed and got to the door before he heard Claire cry in disgust. "What – what is it?"

"Daddy! You forgot Claire!" she exclaimed.

Muttering under his breath, he took three giant leaps back into his room, snatched pretend Claire, and thrust the doll into her arms as he made a beeline through the hallway, following the loud shouting of his eldest as he determined which would be the quickest route. Claire laughed as she bounced in Draco's arms with each step, pushing her hair out of her face so that she could see as Draco jogged down the stairs. Standing in the middle of the kitchen was Daphne, the house elves, and an assortment of kitchen pans, with an infuriated Anya as she held a sleepy Scorpius in her arms.

Daphne very much resembled her younger sister; she had dark brown hair often styled in whatever was considered the latest trend over in Paris, where she spent most of her time. Some argued that Daphne was the prettier of the Greengrass girls, and when rumors of Draco and Astoria's divorce began to circulate, some wondered if the Greengrass parents arranged for the wrong girl to marry the Malfoy heir.

She dropped the cast iron frying pan she was in the midst of fighting over with two elves, and as Daphne ran towards him, Draco noticed one of this crankier elves, Vexo, lunging to hit his over dramatic sister-in-law said pan. He was a bit disappointed, however, when Harby unfortunately stopped Vexo's backswing. Her massive amount of luggage was piled in the corner, and Draco felt his blood pressure rise at the sight of it all. "Master says no one cooks but me!" Vexo groused in his scratchy, unpleasant voice. "Vexo is sorry for the noise, Master, but Master knows that Vexo does not like Vexo's things_ to be touched_!"

"For Merlin's sake, Daphne!" Draco hissed, jerking his shoulder away as he shrugged off her attempts to hug him while keeping a hold of Claire. "Get yourself together! Fighting with the help? Have you gone completely mental?"

"She was _trying_ to make breakfast," Anya sneered.

Daphne tried to take Scorpius from his sister, but he was having none of that as his small arms swung haphazardly against her hands. "No!" he whined. "Kit-kit-kit!"

She looked at her nephew, somewhat confused. "What are you saying, my sweet, sweet nephew? Come and see Auntie Daphne -"

He's telling you to quit it, you daft woman!" Draco snapped, as Anya swat her aunt's hands away. "Why are you in my house?"

Before Daphne could speak, Anya began to rant. "She just came barging in and began searching for Mum in every room of the house, waking all of us up in the process!"

"I was _concerned_!" Daphne exclaimed, pressing her hands against her chest. "I'd heard the _terrible_ news from Mother and Father and I just _knew_ that I had to come and make sure my baby sister's children were alright!"

"You see us. We're fine. Now go!" Anya demanded, shifting Scorpius higher up on her hip. "Leave!"

"Anya," Draco warned, pinching the bridge of his nose hard with his thumb and forefinger. "Stop."

"Don't act like you want her here," Anya said, jerking her head in Daphne's direction.

"Is that any way to speak to your aunt?" Daphne scolded, glaring at her niece as she perched her hands on her hips. "You could do with some finishing school lessons this summer with your attitude. Pureblood women do _not _act with such unpleasant decorum."

"Don't speak to my daughter as if you know her!" Draco spat. "As for seeing your sister, she's sleeping right now so I suggest you _leave_ and send an owl later to see if she is up for a visit."

Daphne went to touch Draco's arm, but his harsh glare stopped her gesture halfway as she recoiled her arm back to her side. "Draco," she whispered, batting her eyes in a way that made him want to vomit. "The children are going to need a -"

"Daphne," Draco said, cutting her off sharply. "This is not a discussion that needs to be had in front of the children. Now, I would like for you and _all _of your belongings to _vacate_ the premises of my house before I become _incredibly _unpleasant and - "

* * *

><p><em>Some mornings will be great…and some mornings will be hell<em>. The words from her healer upon leaving St. Mungo's echoing once more Astoria's head as her eyes fluttered open for a moment, her head not throbbing nearly as much as it did on Friday or Saturday. Her temporary pity party suspended, she tossed the blankets off of her and sat up, the aches in her joints coming from staying in one position for so long instead of the illness inhabiting her body. Astoria spent her day upstairs, not wanting the children to see her feeling so unwell, with Draco checking in on her often.

With the movements of someone more than twice her age, Astoria managed to walk to the bathroom attached to her room, wand in hand, as she found the potions labeled with the day's date setting in a multi-vial holder on the vanity. Popping the corks out of the thin glass receptacles, she forced herself to swallow the five potions, each one tasting bitterer than the previous. Her cancer medications - both Wizard and Muggle alike - were no longer a part of her rotation, instead only taking potions to manage her pain. She didn't miss the cancer medications, as everything she ate had some sort of metallic taste - regardless of the food. Astoria's taste buds seemed to be readjusting now that her healer pulled those medicines from her daily regiment and much to her delight, some of her diminished appetite was beginning to resurface.

Feeling the effects of the potions beginning to settle in her system, Astoria stared at her reflection as she cast a glamour charm, her makeup refreshing her face and hiding the red spots and scaly patches on her faces and hiding the dark circles under her eyes. One of the things she made most certain of once her hair began to fall out with the Muggle methods of chemotherapy and radiation was to not appear 'sick' in front of the children. The magic within her was enough to cast a sustainable glamour charm for now, but she knew that it was only a matter of time before she would need assistance…Hermione's assistance. Men didn't make a habit of learning various glamour charms, and if she left it to Draco, she feared the outcome to look more like a clown or a drag queen instead of a respectable woman of wizarding society.

Now that she had Hermione's promise to help Draco with her children, she was making a list of affairs she wished to have in order before the inevitable, including a conversation with her parents, and more importantly - her sister. A touchy subject in its own right, Astoria wasn't really sure how she would react to the notion that it was not within her wishes to help care for her children. Draco and Daphne, despite being the same age, were never close. When Narcissa made the choice that Astoria would be the most suited sister to marry her son back when she was barely older than Anya, Daphne wailed about the decision for days on end. She never knew what made his mother chose her over her sister back then. Maybe Narcissa was aware that Draco only tolerated her sister because she was Pansy's best friend, and back then he and Pansy were boyfriend and girlfriend. Maybe Narcissa had some sort of feeling that Draco would have killed her after a week of marriage. Astoria really didn't know, nor did she care.

She loved her sister, despite her overdramatic and outlandish ways, but wasn't kidding when she mentioned to Hermione that small animals and plants weren't suitable to be in Daphne's care - let alone children. Astoria knew her mothering skills had been less than stellar over the years, but compared to Daphne, she would be mother of the year. Her parents tried to arrange a marriage for her older sister around the same time the arrangement finalized between herself and Draco, but because her first choice was taken, Daphne refused any sort of betrothal. Instead, she spent her time in cities like Paris and Rome, finding men with too much money and not enough sense to lavish her with the materialistic things she desired before moving onto the next poor, unsuspecting soul. Muggle, Half-Blood, Pureblood - status didn't matter, just as long as he could foolishly attempt to buy her love and affection

Opening the door of her bedroom, Astoria could hear the muffled shouts of her husband, as well as her oldest daughter. Merlin only knew what the two of them could possibly be at each other's throats about now. Draco kept telling her that their eldest child would put him in an early grave, or that she got her attitude and snotty retorts from her side of the family, but from where Astoria stood, Anya may have looked like a Greengrass but her demeanor came directly from his side of the family tree. Her robe tied tightly around her dwindling waist, she sighed as she followed the sounds of shouting from below.

Bracing a hand on the banister, Astoria walked down the stairs into the kitchen as she heard her husband sneer something about belongings and leaving and that's when she saw Daphne, surrounded by an irritated Draco, a scowling daughter, and elves that looked as if they were waiting for permission to throw hexes.

"Daphne?"

"Astoria!" her sister exclaimed. "You look…why, you don't look sick at _all_. Are you sure you aren't exaggerating your condition _just_ a little bit?"

Astoria arched her eyebrows high as Draco appeared to be swallowing whatever verbal assault was stitching itself into his tongue. "Yes, Daphne, I'm sick."

"If she's staying I'm leaving," Anya interrupted.

"And where, might I ask, will you go?" Daphne inquired in an overly authoritative tone.

"Can Claire and I come?" Claire asked, completely intrigued.

"No one is going anywhere," Draco bluntly announced. He turned to his wife and jerked his head in the direction of her sister as he walked towards her. Placing Claire down, he brushed his cheek against hers and braced his hands gently on her upper arms. "Make. Her. Leave."

Astoria looked at him and discretely shrugged. "And how do you suppose I do that?" she whispered back, her lips barely moving as she did her best to smile in the direction of her sister.

"Methods aren't important," Draco quietly replied. Walking over to Anya, he plucked Scorpius from her arms and rubbed his back, all the while glaring at Daphne as Scorpius tucked his head on his father's shoulder. "Wake my children up again and I _promise_ I will leave them with you. By yourself. Without any help. All daylong. Full of sugar," he threatened as he walked back upstairs.

Anya followed her father, replicating his glare before disappearing up to the second floor, while Claire looked up at the aunt she saw maybe twice, three times a year and grinned, showing off her doll. "Do you like my doll? Her name is Claire."

"You can't name your doll the same name as yourself," Daphne scoffed. "It's preposterous."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"No it _isn't_."

"_Yes, _it is."

Claire snapped her attention back to her mother, her lower lip jutting out a bit as she hugged pretend Claire to her chest. "Mummy, is it posterous?" she asked.

Astoria walked down the rest of the stairs and took a seat on the landing that connected the two steps from the kitchen floor to the staircase. "What do you think?" she asked.

Scrunching up her nose, Claire pondered the question as she swiveled her hips back and forth. "Well…Hermione says that it's my doll, and she picked her 'cause she looked lots like me, and I can name her whatever I want."

"Sounds like a perfectly good reason to me," Astoria replied, brushing a hand through her unruly hair. "Why don't you go see if Anya will fix your hair so it looks…a bit more suitable for the day?"

Claire dropped her shoulders a bit. "Does she got to use the brush?"

"Yes," Astoria replied.

"Alright," Claire replied with a heavy sigh as she began to trudge up the stairs.

As soon as her daughter was out of sight, Astoria turned back to her sister, who stood in front of her as if she was showcasing everything she had on – the furs, the jewelry, her hair in an updo more suitable for a gala instead of a Sunday morning house visit. Astoria was insanely jealous of her sister during the days and weeks in which her marriage more resembled a battlefield instead of a relationship. Even without the husband, Daphne managed to live the life of leisure Astoria felt she was entitled to upon her marriage, and she did so without the additional pressure to produce an heir. With her perspective on life drastically changing every day, all Astoria could do was clasp her hands together, look at her older sister, and shrug.

"Why are you here, Daphne?"

Daphne tilted her head to the side as she stared at her sister, her lips pursed together as she stared at her sister quite pitifully. "I think it's pretty obvious, don't you? Mother said you are sick, and someone needs to come and help take your place."

"Excuse me?"

Daphne held her hands up in the air as if she was displaying everything around her. "How do you expect to take care of a house and a husband and children if you are dying? You are dying, right? Wait - that sounded a bit more insensitive than I meant…"

A laugh escaped Astoria's lips as she looked away, shaking her head slightly. "Of course," she mumbled before returning her attention to her sister. "Listen…as much as I appreciate, well, whatever this is you believe to be offering, this isn't my house. It's Draco's – and he does not want you here."

"Since when do you listen to him!" Daphne exclaimed. "You never do what he asks. Ever!"

"This is no longer my house," Astoria repeated. "I'm a guest here as well, and I'm only here upon the insistence of Draco."

"Are you two divorced?"

"No..."

"Then it's still your house," Daphne stated, perching her hands on her hips with a smirk on her face.

Astoria shook her head. "If you would like to stay in my penthouse while you are in town, then I will allow it, but Draco wants you gone and I am going to respect his wishes."

Daphne huffed, pacing back and forth in the kitchen as if the movement would help her form a coherent argument. "If you're sick and Draco works, who cares for the children? He certainly cannot be doing it alone. And if he's taking care of everyone, who is taking care of him? He will need a wife, Astoria."

"He's been more of a parent than I have," Astoria acknowledged. "And we…he has help."

"These children deserve a mother," Daphne began to argue once more.

"Of course they do!" she exclaimed. "But they certainly don't deserve another me. They deserve more, Daphne. More than the mother we had, and more than the mother they have. When I'm gone…"

Her pacing ceased, Daphne snapped her attention to her sister and sighed. "Do you have to be so morbid? Honestly – it's a bit depressing."

Astoria stood up from her perch and walked over to her sister, embracing her in a hug as she lightly kissed her cheek. "I'm going to die," she whispered in Daphne's ear before letting her go. "If you want to stay, please stay at my penthouse. I want to enjoy the time I left peacefully - with my family."

Daphne's eyes appeared to dampen slightly as she turned her nose up in the air. "What? Am I no longer considered family anymore?"

"No – you are my sister – and will always be family," Astoria said, amending her statement. "If you wish to visit every day…preferably while Draco is at work, then visit. But you cannot stay here."

A flash of anger mixed with disappointment crossed Daphne's face before she removed her wand from her robe and cast a shrinking spell on her luggage so that she could collect all of her belongings with her hands. "You would think that you'd be a little bit more grateful at what I'm offering," she said to Astoria as she began to pick up her luggage. "I'd like to think that if I were in your position, I would be a bit more grateful if someone came and offered to give up their life to take my place."

Folding her arms across her chest, Astoria sighed. "If you didn't have ulterior motives, Daphne, I might have been a bit more receptive to the idea."

"Excuse me?"

"He won't replace me with you," Astoria clarified, her face void of expression. "He will never love you. He doesn't even love me – at least not in the way in which you have coveted since your teenage years."

Daphne's eyes widened a bit at the accusation, as if she was almost ashamed to be caught in the truth of her intentions. "I…you…Astoria I…I would never – the thought didn't even cross my mind!"

"Of course it didn't," Astoria sarcastically replied. "Please send an owl if you are planning on returning. I take naps when I can as my energy is often drained."

"_If_ I decide to return," Daphne snapped before she and her belongings disapparated from the kitchen with a louder than usual 'pop'.

_Could have been worse_, Astoria said to herself as she retreated back upstairs. Telling Draco that she managed to get Daphne to leave would be the best bit of news she'd given him in recent memory. Slowly, she made her way down the long hallways of the mansion, walking through the wing where her children's bedrooms were as she heard Anya and Claire talking. Stopping short of Anya's room, Astoria leaned against the wall and peeked in on them, both oblivious to her presence.

"YaYa don't pull so hard!" Claire cried, sitting on the stool in front of her vanity dresser.

"If you would just let someone braid your hair before you go to bed I wouldn't _have_ to pull so hard," Anya retorted.

Claire huffed, hugging pretend Claire to her chest Anya attempted to be a bit gentler as she brushed her sister's hair. "Can you do it like Hermione does?" she asked.

"You said French braid, and that's how Grandma Jean does it," Anya replied. "Hermione puts your hair in two high ponytails and braids them that way. Which way do you want?"

"Um…like Hermione does," Claire said. "And Daddy says we can call Grandma Jean 'Grandma Jean' even if Mummy's back. We're going to go see her today, you know."

Anya nodded as she separated her sister's hair with a comb. "Good. If we're there than Aunt Daphne can't back come bother us. I hate her."

"Don't say hate!"

"Don't move!"

Claire huffed, moving her head with Anya's hands as her guide as her sister began to wrap the first ponytail about a half-inch above her ear, then the other side. "Make sure they're even – Hermione always makes sure they're even."

"They're even," Anya promised, letting her sister inspect the two ponytails in the mirror before getting a nod of approval to begin braiding.

"Why do you think it makes Mummy mad that we call Hermione's mummy Grandma Jean?" Claire asked. "Cause she's like a grandma…and Grandpa Richard always says he loves us lots."

Anya shrugged as she finished one braid, tying it off before moving to the other side. "It's complicated, Claire."

"Grandma Jean and Grandpa Richard like to play with us," Claire mused aloud. "Grandpa Richard is even good at playing tea party!"

"Well, he's had lots of practice," Anya replied with a fond smile. "Do you want ribbons?"

Claire nodded, reaching for the basket as she pulled out four green ribbons. "Daddy's in a bad mood today…so I'm going to wear his favorite color." Handing her sister the ribbons, she watched as Anya fastened the bows at the tops and ends of each braid, making sure each of the loops were even with each other. Things being 'even' had been quite the adventure with Claire in recent days.

Sneaking past their door, Astoria made way down another hallway towards a familiar room, the door cracked as it exposed the two men in her life – Draco propped up a bit against the headboard while Scorpius was snuggled to his chest, his face resting on Draco's shoulder, his thumb resting against his lip. Quietly, Astoria walked into the room that had been host to the majority of the fights between herself and Draco and walked to the side of the bed. Knowing he wasn't asleep, Astoria sat down on the edge of the bed as she whispered. "She's gone."

"Good," Draco mumbled as he kept an open hand pressed against his son's back. "Fucking lunatic."

Astoria rolled her eyes. "She isn't that bad."

"You're right – she's worse," Draco mumbled once more.

"I offered her the penthouse if she chooses to stay."

Draco yawned. "As long as the penthouse doesn't magically appear inside _this_ house, then fine." Opening his eyes, he looked over at Astoria as Scorpius began to move. "Are you feeling better today?"

"Much," Astoria replied. "I already took my morning potions."

"Enough to spend the afternoon with Richard and Jean?" Draco inquired, craning his head around as Scorpius began to nuzzle his face into the crook of his neck. He was surprised that she agreed to the visit yesterday, considering her abrasive mood. "Because if we go…you have to be nice to them."

Astoria rolled her eyes. "I'll be nice."

"No, I mean sincerely nice," Draco stated. "These people are like no two people you'll ever meet. They genuinely care about the children, and have never said an ill word about you regardless of what you've believed in the past."

"I know," she replied with a slight sigh. "It was just jealousy, Draco. I wish I had a better excuse but unfortunately, I do not. It's obvious the children are crazy about them as much as they are about the children. I overheard Claire talking to Anya about _Grandma Jean_ a moment ago."

Draco swallowed a groan. "I already told you -"

"It's ok," she interjected. "If Hermione is going to be a permanent part of their lives when I'm gone…it make sense. Just because I don't necessarily like it doesn't mean I can't adapt."

"Adapt?" he asked, adjusting the sleeping son on his chest. "You sure you didn't take one too many potions today?"

"Shut up," she snarked. "Do you want me to take him so you can get a little bit of sleep?"

"You sure?"

Astoria nodded, reaching out as Draco carefully put their sleeping son in his arms. "I really am feeling much better today. I promise. Besides - you're the one that looks worse for the wear today. _Are you sure you aren't exaggerating your condition just a bit?_"

Draco couldn't help but laugh as Astoria mimicked her sister. "I still cannot believe she asked you that. I swear - the woman has no decency."

"She is what she is," Astoria replied, standing from the bed as she cradled Scorpius to her chest. "Get some sleep - I'll wake you if you aren't up on your own after a while."

"Alright," he said, yawning as he grabbed his pillow, hugging it to his chest as he closed his eyes, silently begging his body to retreat to a state of slumber if only for a few more hours.

* * *

><p>Hermione used the rolling pin, spreading the biscuit dough out on the counter top of the kitchen island in her parents' house before taking the circle cutter and popping perfectly round shapes and placing them on the greased baking sheet. Her hair was down, a few strands pinned off to the side away from her face as an apron shielded her jeans and navy cardigan, a cream-colored tank peeking out above the top button and below the sweater hem. Her mother stood at the sink, rinsing a basket of strawberries inside a colander before taking a knife to the tops of them.<p>

"Hermione, dear," Jean said, watching over her shoulder as her daughter punched the cutter into the dough. "Not that I don't admire the gusto, but if you scar that countertop I will have to disown you."

"Nice, Mum," Hermione replied with a laugh, gathering the remaining dough up to roll back out, figuring she could get a few more biscuits cut before popping them into the oven. "Nice to see that granite trumps child."

Jean began to pop off the tops of the strawberries with a paring knife. "It took me two excruciating years to convince your father to replace the Formica with granite. It's just as much my baby as you are."

Carefully, Hermione cut out five biscuits from the remaining dough before tossing the scraps in the trash and the pan into the oven. Sighing, she wiped her hands on the apron and scratched her nails along her collarbone. "I think its really nice…inviting Astoria over. I just…if she seems a bit prickly…well, just don't take it personally."

"Noted," Jean replied, tossing a few more topless strawberries in a fresh bowl. "Now, are you going to tell me why you still look utterly exhausted?"

"I'm fine," Hermione insisted. "I told you already - it's just been a long week."

A few more strawberries lost their tops. "You might be able to pull that lame excuse with your father, but I know you better, so start talking," Jean replied. "You know I won't judge…whatever the reason is."

"I know," she said, now standing next to her mother at the sink. Placing her hands on the glass bowl containing the cropped strawberries, she picked up a small one and popped it into her mouth. Strawberries were always her favorite. "Is it possible to feel guilty for doing what's asked of you?"

Jean shrugged as she reached for another plastic box of strawberries, dumping them in the colander filled with stems as she rinsed the new batch. "Depends on why you feel guilty. Have you done something wrong?"

"No…"

"Illegal? Immoral?"

"Of course not," Hermione insisted. "I just…the other night, I was at Draco's and there was a moment where Astoria and I…I don't know what to call it really. Obviously, we aren't all that close, and maybe it's because we haven't really spent a lot of time around each other, especially with Draco in the same room, but she was obviously upset and I was afraid I did something and when she snapped at me…" Hermione took a breath and sighed, looking down as she tapped her nails against the bowl. "She admitted she was jealous, which I understood of course, but when I tried to leave, she told me not to. She then went on to say that, I did 'exactly what she expected me to do,' but her tone…I don't know, Mum. I just don't know. I know she wasn't feeling all that well, either, so maybe it was just her mood."

Jean gave her daughter a reassuring nudge with her arm. "There's going to be a few adjustment periods, sweetheart. Even though Astoria asked you to help, I'm sure it isn't easy for her to watch."

"I never thought it would be."

"I'm sure on the days where she feels at her worst, she probably feels a bit hopeless. Knowing you're never getting better can't be easy."

Hermione nodded, exhaling a heavy sigh. "Yet I still feel guilty."

"Maybe you feel guilty because you two aren't exactly friends," Jean offered. "Maybe you should spend some time learning to understand her a bit better. After all, she is Anya, Claire, and Scorp's mum - and you'll want to be able to tell them - especially the little ones - about her when they get older."

She continued to click her nails against the bowl. "I could try…I just don't know what Astoria would think."

"Start with coffee," Jean suggested. "If she's feeling up to it one day - just go for coffee, and see where it goes. And if she isn't feeling up to it, maybe the two of you could have a private lunch in the house."

Hermione picked out another small strawberry and popped it into her mouth. "Maybe I'll ask and see what she says."

"After all, the worst thing that can happen is that she says no," Jean replied, tossing the rest of the cut strawberries into the bowl. Wrapping the bowl up with some saran wrap, she placed the fruit in the fridge to chill and pulled out a bag of carrots to peel and chop up for the roast currently baking in the roaster on the countertop. "You were a little older than a year when your father and I found out I had breast cancer, and even though my outcome wasn't nearly as dire…I remember feeling fine one day and the next was just nothing but pure, unadulterated rage. Medicine, of course, wasn't nearly as advanced as it is today. I put up with six months of chemo, the tumor wasn't shrinking, and I remember your father telling me that he fancied my bum a hell of a lot more than my tits, and the next day I was scheduled for a double mastectomy."

"Gross, Mum," Hermione said, making a face.

"What - the double mastectomy or knowing your father's preference?"

"The latter," she said with a grimace. "Definitely the latter."

Jean laughed. "You know, we're hardly ready to be shipped off to a nursing home. I'll have you know that your father and I have quite a healthy -"

"Mum!" Hermione shrieked, clapping her hands over her ears. "Jesus - are you trying to scar me for life?"

"Oh sweetheart, your father and I stopped trying years ago."

She rolled her eyes, removing her apron and hanging it up on the hook in the pantry. "I'm going to go take a nap. If I stand down here any longer I'm going to require a lobotomy."

"Lobotomy's are expensive sweetheart. Just _oblivate _yourself," her father joked, entering the kitchen with a sports magazine in hand. Hermione's eyes grew wide as Jean's attempt to suppress a laugh failed spectacularly. Richard kissed his daughter's stunned cheek before pouring himself a cup of coffee. "What, still too soon?"

Hermione let a small laugh escape her lips as she shook her head. "You two are ridiculous some days."

"Only for our own amusement," Richard noted with a twinkle in his eye. "And speaking of amusement, when is everyone arriving?"

"In an hour or so," Jean replied, giving her husband a mug so he could pour her a cup as well. "We'll wake you when they arrive."

She yawned, quickly covering it with the back of her hand. "Alright."

Retreating to her room, a time capsule to her youth as everything in her room was as it was when she was a teenager. The clean white shelves, the lilac colored walls. Some pictures had been removed and some books had been replaced, but it was still her room, despite being an adult. Crawling onto the bed, she didn't bother removing her shoes or pulling the blankets back as she buried her head into the plush pillows. Her eyes weren't closed but for a second before she felt herself drifting to sleep.

* * *

><p>"We're here!" Claire shouted, dropping her bag packed full of dress up clothes as Anya followed inside the front door, pulling Scorp's hat off of his head.<p>

Richard appeared in the foyer of their home with a grin from ear to ear as Claire ran over, jumping into his arms as he picked her up. "Claire Bear!" he exclaimed, kissing her cheek. "I've missed you!"

"How much?" Claire questioned.

Richard pretended to ponder her question before kissing her again. "Too much," he replied. "Where's your mum and dad?"

Anya put Scorpius down, unzipping his coat and hanging it up on the coat rack as he made a beeline for the kitchen, looking for Jean. If Richard was in the garage working on his car, Scorpius wanted to be in the garage, but if Jean was in the kitchen, Scorpius wanted to be in the kitchen. He wanted to watch everything as if he lived in fear of missing the next big thing. "They're coming," she said, standing on her tiptoes as she gave Richard a hug. "Dad's helping Mum out of the car."

"Did your dad drive?" Richard curiously asked as he put Claire down on the ground.

"Merlin no," Anya scoffed. "We don't have a death wish - Dad hired a driver. Where's Hermione?"

"Napping," Richard replied. "But Grandma's in the kitchen making a cake if you'd like to help."

Claire hoisted her bag off of the ground and threw the strap over her shoulder. "I have to change my clothes, Grandpa, but tell Grandma to save me a spoon to lick!"

He gave her a mock salute as she trudged up the stairs. "The bag looks awfully heavy," he mused aloud.

"It's filled with every princess dress she owns – with accessories," Anya replied, making her way towards the kitchen. "Hope you're ready to see them all later - she doesn't wear anything longer than an hour or so lately. Drives Mum insane."

The front door opened again as Astoria walked inside, Draco following as he shut the door behind them. Richard carefully assisted Astoria, removing her coat and hanging it up with the others. "You must be Astoria," he said, offering a hand to shake.

Nodding, Astoria accepted his hand as she looked around what she could see of the house, as it was the first Muggle house she'd ever seen in person. "You must be Richard. I've heard many things about you from my children."

He beamed. "Yes well, my wife and I enjoy their company very much. Please - come in, make yourself comfortable. Everyone typically congregates in the kitchen, but we can certainly move a more comfortable chair to the kitchen for you to sit in. It's certainly big enough, after all."

Draco nodded before Astoria could protest. "Thank you, Richard," he said, shaking his hand before removing his own coat and adding it to the rack.

"I'm sure I can manage to sit on whatever is in the kitchen," Astoria said, speaking slowly as she continued to look around the house.

"Nonsense," Richard replied. "Draco – just levitate that black leather chair over there into the corner near the table. There should be room." Offering his arm to Astoria, she looked at him hesitantly before Draco nudged her to take it. "I won't bite, promise," he joked.

Nodding, Astoria took his arm and allowed him to lead her through their house. "Sorry," she said quietly. "I'm just…it was very nice of you and your wife to invite us over."

"We're just glad the invitation was accepted," Richard warmly replied.

Astoria couldn't help but notice the pictures along the walls in the hallway, mostly of Hermione, but she could see pictures of her children interspersed throughout the various frames. Anya looked to be as young as four in some of them, her smile as happy as she'd ever seen her eldest to be. Allowing Richard to continue leading her, they walked through a few more halls before arriving at the kitchen. Draco was already in there, situating the leather chair in an empty corner while Jean had Scorpius perched on her hip, handing him a baby carrot to eat while Anya sat on the edge of the island, licking chocolate cake batter off of a mixing beater.

"Certainly there's a more suitable place for you to sit, Anya," Astoria said, disapproving of her daughter's current position.

"Uh…no," Anya said, giving her mother a look over her shoulder. "This is my spot."

"Excuse me?" her mother asked.

"My spot," Anya repeated. "Isn't it, Grandma Jean?"

Nodding, Jean plucked Anya's chin with a finger and walked around the island to greet Astoria. "I'm Jean," she said, extending a hand. "It's so wonderful to finally meet you, Astoria."

"Likewise," Astoria replied.

Jean nodded towards Anya as Richard let Astoria over to the chair. "Hermione used to sit there when she was little when I'd cook, and when Anya first started coming over, that's where I'd put her when she wanted to watch."

"Ga!" Scorpius exclaimed, leaning as he reached for Richard. "Car, Ga! Car!"

Laughing, Richard took Scorpius from Jean and hoisted him in the air. "Is that all I'm good for? He teased as Scorpius laughed. "Just a car?"

"See car!" giggled Scorpius. "See car!"

"Ahem!" a light, triumphant voice coughed from the kitchen entrance.

Everyone looked over to see Claire, dressed as Rapunzel in a very frilly pink dress, walking in with her plastic tiara perched on her head, plastic diamond earrings clipped to her ears, and pink plastic play shoes for the full effect. Draco shook his head, smiling at his daughter while Richard feigned a gasp, which Scorpius mimicked hilariously.

"What is this!" Richard exclaimed. "Jean – did you know we were going to have a real _princess_ in the house!"

"What? A real princess?" Jean played along, a hand on her hip as she admired Claire's outfit. "Goodness, Richard, I don't know if we've prepared a regal enough dinner for a _princess_. Do princesses eat macaroni and cheese and roast?"

Claire laughed, tearing her crown from her head as if it was the piece of disguise that kept everyone from seeing who she really was. "It's just me, Grandma Jean! See? Its just Claire!"

Astoria couldn't help but find herself amused as Jean fawned over her youngest daughter, doing a mock inspection before tugging on a braid just to make sure was who she said she was. As Richard tickled Scorpius, who continuously chanted the word 'car' while Anya watched, laughing as she handed Claire a cake batter beater to lick, it was hard not to notice her eldest and how she appeared more comfortable sitting on a kitchen countertop than she did in her flat or Draco's house. Playing with the locket around her neck, she dragged the charm back and forth slightly as Draco moved next to her, leaning close as he spoke quietly.

"Do you need anything?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Astoria replied. "Really – I feel fine today."

"Draco?" Richard asked, switching Scorpius from one hip to the other. "Would you like to come with us men to the garage or are you content staying in with the women folk?"

"Ga! Car!" Scorpius shouted, growing impatient with the fact that no one had honored his request.

"You alright in here?" Draco asked Astoria.

"Yes – go!" Astoria hushed, giving him a shove. "You worry too much."

Draco let out a snort. "Considering who I'm dealing with, I don't believe I worry enough."

"I said I'd be good – now go," Astoria shooed.

"Fine," Draco reluctantly replied. Looking around the room, he suddenly realized who was missing. "Where's your daughter?" he asked Richard, slightly worried. "She said she'd be here…"

"She's sleeping upstairs," he replied.

"She looked exhausted…if she doesn't wake up on her own in the next half hour maybe Her Royal Highness here can wake Hermione from her current slumber," Jean added, bending down to the kiss the top of Claire's head as she helped resituate her crown. "Unless of course, you wish to wake her."

Draco wasn't sure how he felt about how Jean raised her eyebrows at him as he spoke, or how his wife, chimed in, crossing her frail arms against her chest with her scarf covered head tilted to the side with a smirk on her face. "Yes, Draco, unless you wish to wake her," Astoria repeated.

"What are you playing at?" Draco asked his wife.

Richard looked at the two women and scowled. Clapping a hand on Draco's back, he led him in the direction of the garage, giving his wife a slight glare as he shook his head. "You're awful, Jean," he quipped.

"Love you too, sweetheart."

"Come on," Richard said to Draco. "Let's go play in the car."

"Car!" Scorpius exclaimed, clapping his hands as he chanted the word on their way to the garage.

Jean looked over at Astoria and gave her a grin. "Funny how oblivious men can be. Wouldn't you agree, Astoria."

Astoria nodded with a curt smile. "Some men more than others."

"Ok…what am I missing?" Anya asked, looking between Jean and Astoria, somewhat confused.

"Nothing," Jean replied, tugging on a lock of her hair.

Anya looked at her mother. "Mum?"

Astoria let a wry laugh slip through her lips. "Nothing for you to worry about."

"You know I'm going to figure it out anyway," Anya retorted.

"I have no doubt that you will."

* * *

><p>Inside Richard Granger's garage sat a primrose yellow, 1933 Rolls Royce 2025 Tourer. Draco didn't know much about cars – if anything at all – but what he knew about this car was the name, that it was an antique, and that Richard had begun to restore shortly after his memories were returned to him. Hermione told him once that other than her, this car was his pride and joy. The bonnet – original to the car - was retracted back, making it easy for Richard to plop Scorpius in the front seat over the door in the driver's seat. Immediately, Scorpius' hands went to the large, thin steering wheel as his lips began to hum, making a continuous car noise.

Taking a seat in an open lawn chair, Draco watched as Richard walked to his workbench, retrieving a jar of wax and a rag before retreating to the car. "You look as exhausted as my daughter does," Richard commented, looking at Draco as he began to rub wax into the hood of the car.

"Its just stress," Draco replied.

"That's what she says," Richard noted. "I hear you were with her this week when she ran into her ex-husband."

"Yeah, I was."

Moving his hand in slow, smooth circles that started small before increasing in size, Richard looked up and saw Scorpius bopping his blond head back and forth, as he continued to buzz his lips together. "I'm not a violent man, Draco. It's never really been my style, one could say." Looking up at Draco, he paused his buffering and gave him a pointed stare. "But if I were ever to begin throwing a punch – I would most likely start with Ronald Weasley."

Draco laughed, dragging a hand over his tired face as Richard went back to his waxing. "I witnessed Potter cold-clocking him the day it all came apart."

"I always liked Harry," Richard said. "He's a good man. Upstanding moral character, very kind and respectful…at one point, I secretly hoped those two would begin to fancy one another. But I knew she was in love with Ronald. Though it didn't take long to see that she always loved him more than she loved her."

Usually when Draco and Richard had conversations, they strictly revolved around his children, and Jean was always in the room. He'd never been alone with Richard before, and he certainly had never had a discussion of this nature in regards to Hermione. It made him feel slightly uncomfortable, sort of like the time he got the 'the talk' from his mother, lecturing him about the precautions men should take because it was unfair to assume that the woman should always take care of the contraception charm.

"She ought to learn how to keep people at an arm's length," Draco mused. "Though I'm not sure she knows how."

"She doesn't," Richard stated. Dropping the cloth onto the hood, he set the jar down on top and retreated to a small mini-fridge, pulling out two beers. Snapping the tops off, he handed a bottle to Draco and tossed the caps in the trash container near the door. "Though if she did, I reckon she wouldn't have become friends with you, or found herself in this…situation."

Draco cleared his throat before taking a drink. "I suppose you're right."

"My daughter deserved more of a man than the one she married, wouldn't you agree?"

"Absolutely."

Richard turned his attention to Draco, looking him straight in the eye. "She cares for you more than she lets on, you know."

"I care for her a bit more than I let on too, Sir," Draco replied, caught off guard a bit by the honesty in his voice. "She's uh…she's my best friend."

Her father chuckled, grabbing his waxing rag as he began to polish the car. "So I hear."

Scorpius found the horn on the car, cackling as the old-fashioned sound echoed throughout the garage. "Ga!" he squealed, honking again. "Car!"

"We need to increase your vocabulary, my boy," Richard said to Scorpius with a chuckle.

"Yes!" Scorpius exclaimed, honking the horn once more before dissolving into a fit of giggles as if he just told the world's funniest joke.

Richard took a swig of his beer and shook his head at Scorpius, who was now standing on the green leather seats inside the car, his hands on top of the steering wheel. "If you want to go and wake her - you can. She'll probably be livid her mother and I didn't wake her sooner."

He scratched his scalp right above his ear as he looked in his son's direction. "Eh, I'm sure Claire will wake her."

"I'm sure Jean has her quite captivated in the kitchen. It's the last bedroom on the right," Richard said, resuming the wax job he started on his car.

Draco took a drink of his beer. "If it's all the same, honestly, I'm sure one of the girls will wake her. Astoria's sister arrived unexpectedly today, kicking my blood pressure up a notch too high before eight in the morning, and between her, my wife who I'm convinced is suffering from multi-personality disorder, and my teenage daughter who may not live to see fourteen…"

"You need a garage," Richard chuckled. "Or a man cave of sorts."

"I usually just escape by popping ov…er -" he caught himself right in time, shaking his head quickly. "Popping a silencing charm around me."

Richard grinned. "Well, we Muggles don't have that luxury. Instead - we men seek refuge in the garage. Half the time I'm not even working on the car. I just sit in that chair you're in right there and listen to the radio."

"It doesn't seem like it needs much more work," Draco noted. "Not that I know anything about automobiles."

"It doesn't need any work at all," Richard replied. "I finally got it running this past fall - when it warms up a bit, maybe I'll take you o-u-t on a r-i-d-e."

Draco laughed, knowing the words spelled out would have triggered a response from his son, and it was too cold to take the car o-u-t anywhere. "Sounds like a plan," he replied.

* * *

><p>"Hermione. Hermione wake up."<p>

Squeezing her eyes shut, she saw Anya peering over her, her long black hair hanging down. "Hey sweetie," she said, clapping a hand over her mouth as she yawned. "Have you been here long?"

"A half hour or so," Anya replied. "Mum's downstairs with your mum - having pleasant conversations and it's freaking me out."

Hermione sat up in bed, straightening out her top as she yawned again. "I'm sure your dad told her to be nice. It's probably all it is."

"She genuinely looks like she's enjoying herself," Anya stated.

"That's…unexpected," Hermione replied, fluffing her hair a bit. Wrapping an arm around Anya's waist, the two of them walked out of her bedroom together and heard laughter from downstairs. "Maybe she's in a good mood today?"

Anya shrugged. "She was just as miserable yesterday as she was Friday night, and now she's all bloody sunshine and rainbows."

"Language," Hermione minded as they walked down the stairs and through the halls. In the kitchen, they found Astoria and Jean drinking tea at the table, Claire sitting on Jean's lap as she showed off the plastic cumbersome rings adorning her dainty fingers.

"Hermione!" Jean exclaimed at the sight of her daughter. "Have a nice nap?"

She nodded, stifling another yawn. "I did, actually. Astoria - you look like you're feeling better today."

"Much," Astoria replied. "Your mother is quite humorous, Hermione. For someone as serious as you are, I didn't expect it."

"My little button has always been serious," Jean said, winking over at Hermione. "Always studious, always serious…but always good at everything."

Hermione clicked her tongue, wrenching the refrigerator door open as she pulled out a bottle of water. Snapping off the cap, she took a drink and sighed. "I'm not good at everything, Mum."

"Name one thing you aren't good at," Jean demanded. "You're brilliant, declared the 'brightest witch of your age' - not that I really know what that entails but well done anyway, dear - you were a beautiful ballet dancer, incredibly accomplished at the piano."

Hermione smiled at her mother's praise. "I wasn't good at being married."

"I think that might be the other way around," Astoria replied. "You weren't the one that ended it."

She shrugged. "I should have been smart enough to avoid it all together. Let that be a lesson to you, Anya and Claire - never marry young. What you want at eighteen certainly won't be what you want at twenty eight." She hopped up on the counter where Anya was previously sitting.

Following suit, Anya hopped up next to her, linking Hermione's arm with hers. "I'm never getting married."

"Never say never," Jean said.

"No really - I'm never getting married," Anya repeated. "All Mum and Dad ever did was fight, Ron totally broke Hermione's heart and he was _supposed_ to be the love of her life - that's just too much disappointment for me."

Claire climbed off of Jean's lap and walked over to Astoria. Jean picked up the empty teacups and shook her head as she walked past Anya and Hermione. "Listen to her talk as if she's seen more than her thirteen years on this earth."

"But it's true!" Anya exclaimed. "I don't want to get married. And I certainly don't ever want to be like Aunt Daphne - showing off all that ugly jewelry she gets men to buy her. It's tacky. I just want to be me, and do what I want, when I want." She blew her long, side swept bangs out of her face and looked at Hermione. "She showed up at the house this morning too, Aunt Daphne did. I thought Dad was going to blow a bloody gasket."

"Language!" Astoria, Jean, and Hermione exclaimed.

"And what do you mean, Daphne was here?" Hermione asked.

"Mother and Father told her about my prognosis I guess, and she thought she'd come swooping in and…" Astoria trailed off, giving Hermione a knowing look as she tugged on the back of her headscarf.

Hermione grimaced. "Didn't know she was still carrying that torch."

"Until her last breath," Astoria replied with a cheeky smile. "The biggest injustice in her life was not having her entire life arranged with the _great_ Draco Malfoy."

"Well _I'm_ going to marry Prince Charming, and live in a _huge_ castle, and go to big fancy balls every night," Claire said quite wistfully as she snuggled closer to Astoria. "I'm also going to have one dog, one hamster, and _maybe_ a talking bird. I don't know about the bird yet. Albus says they're talking birds that talk without magic, but I don't know if I believe him."

Anya through her hands up in the air and stared at her sister with wonder. "I'd give all the galleons in the world just to see how the inside of your head words for a day, Claire. I truly would."

"Oh yeah? Well I'd give all the galleons in the world to see the inside of _Scorpius' _head, because then maybe he'd learn how to properly say the word 'hot dog'," Claire said, eliciting laughs from everyone in the room.

Jean pulled a stack of dishes out of the cabinet and walked them over to Anya. Holding them, Anya waited until Jean stacked the silverware on top. "I've been married to my husband now for thirty-five years this spring," Jean told Anya, reaching out to tuck the girl's long black locks behind her ears. "And your right - sometimes, things don't work out. But unfortunately, that's life." Jean looked over at Hermione and gave her a small smile. "Not everything goes according to plan, regardless of how hard one tries. But I do believe that everything happens for a reason, and if you try to fight against that, you may find yourself missing out on something incredible." Kissing Anya's cheek, she gave her arm a squeeze. "Now make yourself useful and set the table in the dining room."

"You mean you don't want me to just sit here and hold all of these plates?" Anya playfully replied.

"Scoot!" Jean exclaimed as Anya climbed off of the countertop. "Claire Bear, come here and grab these napkins and set them on next to the plates."

"Yes Grandma Jean," Claire said, crawling out of the chair she was sharing with Astoria, prancing as her play shoes clacked against hardwood floors. Retrieving the napkins, she continued prancing into the dining room.

"Whoa!" Richard cried, jumping out of the way as Claire skipped by him where the hallway met the kitchen. Draco followed Richard, carrying a slightly miffed Scorpius in his arms. "Looks like we came back in right on time." He walked over and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek. "Did you have a nice little kip, darling?"

She nodded, hopping off of the counter as she looked away, trying to ignore her mother's words as they permeated through her subconscious. Scorpius whined and reached for Jean until she took them, consoling him about not being able to play in the car anymore as their late lunch was nearly ready to be served. When the girls walked back in, Jean handed Claire the basket full of fresh biscuits and gave Anya a set of potholders to wear, instructing her to carefully pull out a warm dish of freshly baked macaroni and cheese from the oven. Richard grabbed the bowl of mashed potatoes and followed the girls into the dining room.

"How about you sit with your mum while Grandma Jean puts the roast on the serving dish!" Jean said to Scorpius, who shook his head. "Please?"

"No!" he whined, leaning his head on her shoulder. "Car bye!"

"So pitiful," Jean cooed.

"Here," Draco said, peeling his son away from Jean's arms as he whined. "Come on Scorp - let's get you cleaned up before lunch."

"Use the guest bedroom upstairs, dear," Jean said. "Second door on the left - there's plenty of room up there to change him."

"Alright," Draco replied, carrying Scorpius - now sobbing - out of the kitchen.

"Hermione?" Astoria asked as she stood up from her chair. "Could you possibly go and help him? He doesn't have much patience today. Not that I'm one to talk, but -"

"Sure," Hermione replied, pulling at the sleeves of her cardigan. "It's no problem."

As Hermione disappeared out of the kitchen, Jean placed a bowl of corn she pulled from the microwave onto the island for her husband to retrieve and pulled a serving platter from a cabinet. As she removed the lid, she used two large kitchen forks to pull the roast from the oven roaster onto the platter. With a ladle, Jean the juice and carrots from the roaster, drizzling the roast as she garnished the edges with the cooked carrots. "Might I ask you a question, Astoria?"

Folding her arms against her chest, Astoria stood next to Jean as she watched the woman continue to garnish the roast. "Certainly."

"I know Hermione said you wanted someone to care for the children, but I'm sensing that you're hoping for more, aren't you?"

"More?"

"Between your husband and my daughter," Jean clarified.

Astoria noncommittally shrugged. "Did you not just say that everything happens for a reason?"

Jean chuckled, pulling the last of the carrots from the oven roaster with the ladle. "I did."

"I hate admitting it," Astoria said, picking at her brittle nails. "But she's good for him, and I think he might be good for her. As much time as I've spent disliking your daughter over the years, she didn't deserve what happened to her. Draco…after he helped her move from her apartment he fumed about the situation for weeks, as if someone had physically harmed him."

Jean felt her heart tug slightly as Astoria's gaze turned to the floor. Opening her arms, she embraced the woman in front of her, hugging her as if she'd known Astoria her whole life. "I don't pretend to understand your world," she said, "with arranged marriages and blood statuses, but I can't imagine it's an easy world to live in if it's all you know."

Astoria nodded, feeling guilty for seeking comfort in a woman she used to despise from a far, despite meeting her for the first time today. She'd never been hugged this way before, and despite her guilt, she liked the way it made her feel. "I know you see it," Astoria spoke softly. "Everyone bloody sees it. The way he looks at her…no one's ever looked at me the way he looks at her."

"I don't think he realizes that's how he looks at her," Jean said, relieving Astoria of her embrace. "And I know my daughter certainly hasn't noticed."

"I know I have a horrible way of showing it, but my children are so lucky to have her," Astoria managed to choke out. "As well as you and Mister Granger. I'm so sorry I refused to meet you until now and -"

Jean hugged Astoria again, shushing her softly as Astoria cried into her shoulder. "It's alright, sweetheart," she whispered. "It's alright."

"I hate that I need Hermione," Astoria cried. "I can't bloody stand it!"

"Mothers will do anything for their children," Jean said, rubbing a soothing hand on Astoria's back. "Wanting what's best for your children isn't selfish. It's what you're supposed to do as a mother."

Astoria looked up at Jean, wiping her eyes with a bent knuckle. "What I asked of Hermione is selfish."

"Only if there wasn't more there," Jean replied. "But there is and your right - I see it. I've seen it for awhile." Pressing a gentle kiss to Astoria's forehead, she went over and picked up the serving platter with the roast and motioned for Astoria to follow with a nod. "It's just up to them to figure it out."


	9. Chapter 9

**_Ok...so I'm like, excited and scared all at the same time about this chapter, only because I know where it has to go next. I hope you enjoy!_**

* * *

><p>"Did you feed him before you guys came?"<p>

Draco nodded, wrestling with the unruly toddler as he protested the entire nappy changing process. "Scorpius if you don't quit it," he warned, grabbing ahold of his legs with one hand as he situated the clean nappy underneath his bum. Scorpius arched his back up high and quickly rolled to his left, Draco losing his grip on his little legs in the process. "Yes, which may have proven to be one of my brighter ideas because it appears by his attitude that it is nap time."

"Nooooooo!" Scorpius wailed, crying as Draco grabbed ahold of his legs once more and used his wand to quickly fasten the nappy around his bum. Sliding his trousers back on, Hermione walked over and waited for Draco to finish dressing him before she picked him up from the bed, cradling him close to her chest. She noticed his eyelids were red, a telltale sign that he was exhausted.

Slowly, Hermione rocked back and forth on her heels, lightly humming as she moved. With a wave of her hand, she summoned his blanket and stuffed dragon from his bag. Handing him each, she continued to move, each rock causing his eyelids to droop and close a bit longer than the previous flutter of a blink. "So…Daphne's back."

Draco flopped backwards on the bed and groaned. "Don't say her bloody name."

"She's probably back at Astoria's place, brewing a love potion as we speak," Hermione teased, her voice soft as Scorpius's cries began to fade into heavy sighs. "Though you should you be careful. If memory serves me correct, she wasn't all that brilliant when it came to brewing."

"She's not all that brilliant period," Draco said with a snort. "Fucking pain in my bloody ass, she is."

She turned around and gave him a pointed stare. "Really?"

He sat up slightly, propped up only by his elbows. "Don't even think about scolding me for my language when it comes to that woman, Granger. It's a goddamn reflex."

Rolling her eyes as she watched him flop back against the mattress once more, Hermione pulled her wand from her pocket and aimed it at the small love seat near the window, transfiguring it into a bed with rails to keep Scorpius from escaping when he woke. Gently, she kissed his forehead and laid him down, covering him with his blanket. The little boy promptly found his thumb, sucking away as he hugged his dragon. She placed a silencing charm around him and layered it with a sound magnifier so that they could hear him once they left the room.

Taking a seat next to him on the bed, she leaned forward, her hands cupped over her nose and mouth as she sighed. "Daphne never liked me. When she finds out that Astoria -"

"It doesn't matter," Draco said, rather definitively. "I'm still the parent - she can't do a bloody thing."

Hermione sighed again. "I should have thought this through. If Daphne comes back then Pansy is sure to reappear and when that happens -"

"Granger. Shut up."

"I should have thought this through," she repeated, her hands now nervously rubbing against the fabric covering her thighs. "This is going to be a disaster."

"Granger. Look at me."

She turned, looking over her shoulder at Draco as he cracked his eyes open. "What?"

"Shut up," he reiterated, speaking slowly. "You are not allowed to add to my migraine today." Hermione stared at him, looking somewhat remorseful for a moment before quickly smacking a hand right into his gut. Draco groaned, rolling over to his side for a moment as he stared at her. "Fucking hell, Granger - that hurt!"

"Don't tell me to 'shut up'! What are we, a pair of second years?"

"Don't go all crazy ranting on me and I won't have to tell you to shut up!"

She smacked him again, only this time he shoved her back. "I wasn't crazy ranting, you bloody git!"

"You were too, you irritable wench - and quite frankly you are no good to me when you unspool so keep it together," Draco replied, smirking as he caught her wrist, preventing her from hitting him once more. She tried to pull her arm away, but he was stronger than her, catching her other wrist in the process. Hermione did her best to fight against him, but before she knew it she was flat on her back with Draco on top of her, pinning her wrists above her head to the mattress with a devilish smirk. "I honestly don't even know why you try."

Hermione glared at him. "Get off of me, Draco."

"Oh no," he said with a laugh. "This is the most fun I've had all day - I plan on enjoying it."

"You'll be rethinking that plan when my knee finds your bollocks," Hermione threatened.

"You wouldn't."

"Keep this up and you'll find out."

He leaned in close, his hands holding onto her wrists the only thing keeping him upright, their noses barely touching. "I'm never going to say this enough," he said, his tone hushed but serious. "Because I don't even want to say it. But I need you. I don't care what Daphne says, or if Pansy appears, if Astoria's parents come completely unglued, or any of that. As much as it fucking pains me to say it aloud, I need you so stop panicking. Please."

Hermione swallowed hard, nodding slightly as his grey eyes bore into hers. "Draco -"

"Uh…Dad? Hermione? Grandma says it's time for dinner."

* * *

><p>Their heads abruptly snapped in the direction of the door where Anya stood, looking somewhat confused at the sight in front of her as her body leaned into the doorway, her hands braced against the frame. Quickly, Draco fumbled his way off of Hermione as she stayed put, clapping her hands over her face to hide her embarrassment. "We'll be down in a minute," Draco said, plain as day…as if his daughter hadn't walked in on what could have been potentially misconstrued into something else entirely.<p>

"Right," Anya droned, giving the two of them a peculiar look before disappearing. Bouncing down the stairs, she rounded the banister and walked through the living room to get to the dining room, where everyone was sitting. Sliding into her seat, she picked up her napkin and placed it in her lap.

"Well?" Jean asked, passing the breadbasket.

Anya tucked her hair back behind her ears and pulled out a roll for her and another for Claire, setting it on her plate. "I…think they're going to be a minute."

Jean arched an eyebrow, watching Astoria butter her piece of bread out of the corner of her eye. "Be a minute or need a minute?"

"Jean…" Richard drawled, staring over his glasses at his wife while he buttered Claire's bread.

"Like I know!" Anya exclaimed, her words rushed as she loaded her butter knife with strawberry jam. "Dad just said to give them a minute."

* * *

><p>Hermione, hands still over her face, groaned. She could feel Draco pacing back and forth. "I told you get off me."<p>

"We didn't do anything wrong. We were just messing around."

"Which is fine when it's you and me - in my apartment - where your children can't walk in!" Hermione hissed, sitting up as she stared at him. "Merlin only knows what she thinks right now."

Draco shrugged his shoulders as he kept pacing. "She's thirteen, what could she possibly think?"

"Well she's half you, and I'm certain the sky's the limit in terms of what you comprehended regarding boys and girls at thirteen so Merlin only _knows_ what she thinks!" Hermione cried, groaning again as she flopped backwards on the bed. "And don't act like you aren't concerned because you're pacing and you only pace when you're nervous."

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you insinuated that I was less than pure and holy as a child and reiterate that we weren't doing anything more than playing around," Draco said, staring at her as his hands pulled at the cuffs on his sleeves. "We're friends, Granger. We pick at each other. Just because we're adults doesn't mean we aren't allowed to have fun."

Sighing, Hermione laid still for a few more moments before she felt Draco's hands grab hers, gently pulling her upright. "Draco I just -"

"It's not a big deal," Draco said. "Come on. We need to go downstairs."

Hermione nodded.

"And stop blushing as if I saw you naked."

Scoffing, she shoved her hands into his chest and rolled her eyes, heading towards the door. "Trust me - you'll never get that lucky."

Draco laughed, shutting the door behind him as he followed. "If only you knew how many other girls thought the same thing."

"You're positively foul," Hermione replied as she descended the staircase, Draco hot on her heels.

"If by foul you mean charming, then yes, Granger. I'm positively _charming_."

* * *

><p>Hermione sat directly across from Draco with Anya on her right, her mother to her left at the end of the table. Scorpius' empty chair sat between Draco and Astoria. She and Anya stole glances at each other, neither all that certain as to what sort of answer the other's face was searching for. Anya looked somewhat curious. Hermione looked someone apprehensive. With plates filled with food, Jean and Richard engaged the children in small talk as they enjoyed their meal, intently listening to Claire's valentine plans as she dominated most of the conversation.<p>

"I think I'm going to need more glitter," Claire said in between bites. "And struction paper. Grandma, can you take me to that store that has all the glitter and struction paper?"

Jean looked over at Astoria, who nodded as she took a bite of roast. "Certainly, sweetheart. I'm sure we can work something out. Maybe I can pick you up after school this week and we can get whatever you need."

Claire's eyes brightened. "Really? Mummy, can she?"

"Maybe Mummy would like to come with us," Jean offered. "Hermione too. Or we could wait until Anya comes home this weekend and have a girls' day out?"

Anya moved some broccoli casserole around on her plate. "You don't need to include me on this excursion, Grandma - I'm not really into the art store. Besides…I have to find a dress for spring fling and Mum promised to take me if she was feeling better and we should probably do it soon…er…"

"Spring fling?" Richard inquired, trying to lighten the subject. "I don't remember a 'spring fling' when you were in school, Hermione."

Hermione nodded, swallowing a mouthful of corn before speaking. "Interhouse relations - it's something they started a few years after the war. More dances, more activities that have the houses interacting with one another instead of separating. I would have quite liked it if Hogwarts had more than just the Yule Ball every couple of years."

"Not likely," Draco said with a laugh.

"Oh really?" Hermione challenged. "How would you know? I loved the Yule Ball! It was brilliant and amazing and -"

"You had a famous Bulgarian quidditch player to take you," Draco added. "And before you ask, yes, I remember, but only because the Weasel fumed about it for months on end. Unless the almighty Viktor Krum was going to accompany you to other dances, you would have wound up not going at all because Ron would have never plucked the courage to ask you - which is quite humorous considering he was sorted into Gryffindor and all."

Hermione went to snap some quick retort back at Draco when Anya placed a hand on her arm. "_You_ went to the Yule Ball with _the_ _Viktor Krum_? You must be joking!"

Laughing, she noticed Draco sneer at his daughter's gushing over the still-famous Bulgarian quidditch player. "I did," she replied. "He was very sweet - a perfect gentleman."

"Do you still keep in touch?" Anya all but gushed.

"We send the occasional letter back and forth," Hermione replied. "Britain's hosting the World Quidditch Cup this summer - if you want I'm sure he would meet you."

Anya's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"I don't see why not," Hermione replied. "That is of course, if it's alright with your father."

Draco frowned at Hermione as his daughter stared at him intently, batting her eyes at him like she used to when she was a little girl. "Daddy please?" she pleaded. "Can I?"

Scowling, Draco looked over at Astoria and her amused face. "Tori please, don't tell me you have a thing for that oversized buffoon too."

"He's a handsome man, Draco," Astoria remarked. "How Hermione didn't keep ahold of him is beyond me."

Dramatically, Draco rolled his eyes. "She didn't keep him because our _son_ has a more comprehensive vocabulary than that dimwitted dolt!"

"That's impossible. Scorp only knows like, twenty words, Dad," Anya replied. "And only uses like, seven of them."

"Exactly my point," Draco replied. "But if you want to gawk at him when he comes to town like some silly girl, then far be it from me to stop you."

Anya grinned, shrieking as she gave Hermione a giddy hug. "This is going to be so fantastic! I can't wait to tell my friends!"

"I don't know who this Viktor guy is, but can _someone_ tell me if I'm getting glitter this week?" Claire asked with an exasperated sigh, her plastic tiara sitting at a tilt on her head. "My valentines won't make themselves, you know."

"Yes Claire," Astoria said with a laugh. "We can go get glitter this week. _Construction_ paper too."

While Claire silently cheered, scooping a good dollop of mashed potatoes on her spoon, Richard looked over at Anya and grinned. "So…with a dance, I'm presuming you'd be going with a date?"

Her pale cheeks blushed slightly. "I guess…I mean, if someone asks, then yes. If no one asks, I guess I I'd just go with friends."

"I'm certain someone will ask you," Astoria said with a warm smile. "You're too beautiful not to be asked."

"You mother is quite right," Richard agreed. "Just make sure he's a proper gentleman, and keeps his hands to himself."

"Grandpa!"

"Dad!"

"What!" Richard exclaimed, looking at Hermione and Anya. "Draco – you're a father – sympathize with me for a moment won't you? You don't want just any young schmuck taking your daughter to a dance."

Draco chuckled, wiping his mouth with the cloth napkin he picked up from his lap. "Richard has a point, YaYa. You can't just let any boy take you. You deserve to be picky. You're a Malfoy, after all."

"You act like there's a line of boys are banging down my dormitory door," Anya snarked.

"Boys better not be able to even _reach_ your dormitory door," Draco warned.

His daughter rolled her eyes. "Hermione. Tell Dad to quit being…you know…him."

Hermione gave Anya a reassuring pat on the back, rolling her eyes as she glanced at Draco. "It'd be no good, sweetheart. It's a genetic defect he can't control."

Astoria nearly choked on her wine, swallowing her laughter as she could see the look of horror her husband was shooting in Hermione's direction. "Did you just insinuate that I'm _defective_?"

"Only in the same manner in which you referred to yourself as _charming_."

Draco set his jaw in a wry smirk, slightly shaking his head as he saw Hermione raise her impeccably manicured eyebrows in his direction. "Well played, Granger."

Claire tugged on Anya's sleeve. "This is one of those things where only Daddy and Hermione know what they're saying, isn't it?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Yep," Anya replied, popping the 'p' as she stabbed a piece of roast with her fork.

* * *

><p>Scorpius managed a two and a half hour nap, which did wonders for his general demeanor as the three children bundled up in their coats, scarves, and mittens so they could play in the foot and a half of snow that had been untouched in the backyard of the house with Richard. Claire was intent on building a snow-girl princess and after much begging, convinced Anya to help her. Scorpius walked chunkily in his snow boots, laughing as he went to pick up snow with his mitten-clad hands every few minutes before promptly shoving the snow in his mouth.<p>

Draco opened up the patio door to the backyard and looked at his giggling son. "Scorpius! We do not eat snow!"

Richard laughed. "Everyone eats snow, Draco. But not yellow snow. Always stay clear of yellow snow."

"Why in the bloody hell would snow be yellow?"

"Never mind," Richard called back with a chuckle. "Come out and play with us!"

"Yeah Daddy!" Claire exclaimed, helping Anya as they were rolling a decent sized ball of snow around for the base of the snow-girl princess. "Come play! Please!"

"Pease!" Scorpius exclaimed, laughing as he slapped more snow into his mouth.

"I've got some extra boots in the garage," Richard added.

Draco waved a hand at him. "I can just transfigure my shoes."

Richard grinned. "You wizards…always showing off your fancy tricks. Now shut the door and go get your coat – I'm not paying to heat the entire neighborhood, you know."

Shutting the door, Draco walked through the Granger house, finding his wife with Jean and Hermione in the front room off of the entryway where his coat and gloves were. Sipping tea, they seemed to be organizing, or making a list of sorts as he watched Hermione jot down notes with a Muggle pen in a notebook. Grabbing his coat, he looped his scarf around his neck while walking into the room, standing behind the chair Hermione sat in to peer at her notes.

"You realize you're at home, and not in class, right?" he teased.

"Ha," Hermione mocked. "Mock my lists all you want, Draco Malfoy, but I know you make them too. Just like I do."

Draco snorted. "Hardly."

"With the boxes next to each task for completion checkmarks," Hermione added, speaking to Astoria. "I've seen them in his office."

"Granger?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Draco!" Astoria exclaimed. "Don't be rude to her in her own house!"

"It's not her house - it's her parents," Draco retorted. "What's the list for?"

"Childcare arrangements, for one," Astoria commented. "Jean's offered to pick up Claire from school, for one."

Draco looked over at Jean and sighed. "As wonderful as your offer is, I don't think I could accept. I'm sure Kingsley and I can work something out where I leave work early so I can pick her up. I secured Scorpius a spot at the Ministry run daycare so on days when Astoria isn't feeling up to it he can come to work with me."

Jean poured some more tea into her teacup. "It really isn't any bother, dear. While my husband might be carving out cavities until they pry the drill from his hand, I'm looking to retire in the next few years. I only see patients in the morning, and St. Agnes is right around the corner from the office. Besides, you don't get off work until five, correct?"

Draco swallowed the groan, trying his best not to seem ungrateful. He knew he was going to need the help, that even with Hermione's help, she worked the same hours he did. But he wouldn't dare allow his father to spend thirty seconds alone with any of his children, let alone fetch her from a private Muggle school, and while Astoria's parents should be the ones offering, he knew better than to hold his breath and even if they did - or even Daphne - it would only cause him a bigger headache. "My wife and I have already hijacked your daughter's life, Jean and I -"

"Hijacked a bit of a strong word, Draco," Jean said, cutting him off with a smile. "We love your children. Richard and I want to help wherever we can."

"It's not going to matter if I say no, is it?" Draco asked with a half-hearted laugh.

"Not particularly," Jean replied.

"Well, I'm sure Claire will be most excited," Draco replied, walking around so he was in front of his wife. "Tori - you're better at transfiguration than I am - can you turn these shoes into something that I won't ruin out in the snow?"

Without a second thought, Astoria pulled her wand from her pocket and flourished a swish and flick, embarrassment blushing her fair skin as nothing happened. It was the first time she'd tried a spell and had _nothing_ happen. Usually there were flickers or glimmers of the spell attempting to perform itself. _But the glamour charm worked this morning_, she thought to herself, as she tried one more wand flourish. "I…my magic must not be strong enough," Astoria said, speaking quietly. "It's been waning a bit since I stopped…treatment."

"You're losing magic?" Draco asked, slightly panicked. "Why didn't you tell me you were losing magic! Tori - if you're losing magic -"

"Draco," Hermione interjected. "Stop."

"It's not entirely gone," Astoria replied, not really sure if she believed the words herself. "The doctor warned me this might happen so calm yourself for Merlin's sake!"

Hermione removed her wand from her pocket and quickly transfigured his Italian leather shoes into warm snow boots. "Draco," she said. "I'm sure the children are waiting for you."

"I don't give a damn about the children right now!" Draco exclaimed, staring at his wife. "Levitate the magazine off the coffee table. Levitate it."

Astoria's eyes were wide. "Draco I -"

"Just levitate the bloody magazine, Astoria."

"Don't tell me what to do, _Draco_."

Draco steeled his glare. "Levitate it."

Huffing, Astoria sat up, readying herself for the wrath of her husband over something neither of them could control as she pointed her wand at the magazine. Hoping on a prayer that if she said the spell out loud she could channel enough magic to keep her husband from having a complete meltdown, she quickly glanced at Hermione and watched as she discretely held her wand from Draco's view between her thigh and the inside arm of the chair. Clearing her through, knowing she'd tweak his nerves just a bit more if she made an overdramatic production of it, she aimed her wand at the magazine like an eager first year. "_Wingardium Leviosa_!"

Just like magic, the home furnishing magazine floated up into the air, Draco watching as Astoria held it still for a few seconds with the magazine before she floated it back town to its original place. Exhaling a sigh of relief, he shoved his hands into his gloves and leaned down, kissing her paper-thin cheek chastely. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear.

"Go," Astoria whispered back, plastering a smile on her face as she gave his arm a shove. "And don't let Scorpius eat the snow."

Laughing, Draco shook his head as walked away. "It's too late for that. Richard says it's ok though, as long as it isn't yellow…whatever that means."

Astoria made a face. "Yellow snow? Why in Merlin's name would snow be yellow?"

"I'll explain later," Hermione replied, pocketing her wand as she stood up, walking towards the place where she could look through the dining room from the front room to see Draco exit the patio door in the kitchen. As soon as she saw Draco slide the door shut behind her, she turned around and looked at Astoria.

"I had it this morning," she said, a bit frantic. "I used a glamour charm. It wasn't my best one, but the magic was there, Hermione. It was there!"

"Did you feel yourself levitating that magazine at all?"

She shook her head no. "Barely, but not enough to get the magazine to levitate. It was all you."

Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth, closing her eyes for a moment before cursing under her breath. Jean looked over at her daughter, then at Astoria, her eyes welling with tears. "Being the only one in the room who doesn't have a wand, can someone explain whatever this is to me?"

Hermione cleared her throat slightly, her arms hugging her chest. "Wizards and witches…the reason they live to be so old is because their magic…it sustains them. It's what helps them age slower, keeps them vital longer. But if something attacks their magic, like a curse or an illness, the magic begins to deplete and we…wizards and witches…without magic…"

Jean's eyes grew with worry as she kept her gaze on Astoria, sitting perfectly still as she held the ends of her wand with her hands. "You mean to tell me that without magic…"

"Without magic, I die," Astoria hoarsely replied. "I'm not going to last six months, Hermione. I may not even last six days."


	10. Chapter 10

Anya scurried around her room, grabbing the Divination book from her desk Hermione found for her and tossing into her Hogwarts trunk as she completed some last minute packing. Wearing one of her several thin, long sleeved black knit shirts in her closet, she grabbed a sheer, purple and green striped scarf James got her for Christmas off the back of her desk chair and looped it around her neck while stepping into her tall, grey knit boots. She sat down on her chair, making sure her skinny jeans didn't bunch near her ankle when Claire came into her room, holding a big piece of paper.

"What's that?" Anya asked, sliding her hand down her other boot to straighten out her jeans.

Already dressed in a red jumper with a white, lace collared long sleeve shirt underneath with matching white tights and black Mary Janes, Claire skipped over to her sister and handed her the paper. "I drawed you a picture to hang in your room." Presenting the picture to Anya, she moved to stand next to her and pointed at the drawing. "See - there's you, and there's me, and that's Scorpius, and we're making snow angels like Grandpa Richard showed us."

Anya wrapped an arm around her sister and gave her a hug. "Well, it's by far my most favorite picture yet."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely. I'll hang it up next to the others by my bed."

Clare grinned, standing on her tiptoes to kiss her sister's cheek. "I'm going to miss you."

Anya gave her another squeeze. "I know, but I'll be home on the weekends for awhile this semester…so that will be nice, right?

Nodding, Claire sighed as she leaned into her sister. "I guess."

"You start school on Wednesday - you're going to be so busy with counting and coloring and reading that you aren't even going to notice that I'm gone," Anya said, trying to cheer her up a bit. "Now, if you want, I'll braid your hair before we leave for the platform."

"Can you just put it in a big ponytail instead?" Claire asked. "I feel like having swishy hair today - but with a bow."

"Like I'd let you leave the house without a bow," Anya mocked, grabbing Claire's hand as she stood up and led her down the hall to her bedroom, where they passed their father walking in the direction of their mother's room. "Hey can I get -"

"Not a chance," Draco replied as he kept walking.

"Seriously?"

He stopped and turned around. "Do you know how embarrassing it was to have Granger walk across the hall to my office with an improper use of magic letter with your name on the top of it?"

Anya scowled. "It's happened once!"

"Twice, actually, which is two times too many," Draco replied. "You can have your wand when we get on the platform."

"Fine," Anya huffed. "But you're going to have to drag my trunk downstairs because it's heavy and I can't do it myself."

Draco placed his hands on his hips and gave his eldest a look. "You have three house elves at your beck and call - _use_ one of them."

"Hermione says we shouldn't make elves do things for us that we can do ourselves," Claire recited in her most serious voice.

Draco flared his nostrils slightly, humming a laugh as he looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Well, can either of you carry the trunk by yourself?"

Anya smirked. "No - but you can."

Draco watched as Claire giggled, Anya pulling her hand as they continued walking towards his youngest daughter's room. He wasn't really sure what it was about his eldest today. Maybe it was her hair and how it was parted to the side, different than the sloppy bun she usually had it in. Maybe it was the faint, sheer lip gloss on her sassy mouth, or how her dressing habits were slowly evolving from t-shirts and zipper jackets to something a bit more put together, but she looked a little bit more grown up today, and that notion wasn't sitting well with him.

He knocked twice before entering Astoria's room, finding her sitting in front of her vanity mirror, fitting her wig on her head. Draco knew the headscarf was Astoria's preference when around her family, but if she was going to see her daughter off on the platform, he assumed the wig would make an appearance. It didn't look any different than her hairstyle when she had hair - pulled halfway up, the ends flipped outward, the top of her hairdo teased slightly. Taking a seat on the edge of her bed, he watched as she clipped her earrings to her ears.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking at him through the reflection.

"Nothing," Draco replied. "How are you feeling?"

Astoria shrugged, turning around on her stool to face him. "Alright, a bit tired from yesterday I suppose. You were right though - Hermione's parents were lovely people."

Draco nodded. "They seemed to really like you - thank you for not…you know…"

"Being me?" Astoria questioned with a smirk.

"Essentially," Draco replied.

"Yes well, I have my moments," she replied, retrieving her wand from the vanity surface. "I do need to talk to you though. It's about yesterday and -"

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," Draco quickly replied. "I didn't mean to panic, and it wasn't fair of me to do, especially in front of Hermione and her mother."

She shook her head. With her wand in hand, she gave it a quick flourish at the slipper on the floor, and managed to levitate it in the air for several moments before it dropped to the floor with a thud. "Yesterday, when you asked me to levitate the magazine, I couldn't do it."

Draco was confused. "But you did it. I saw you do it."

"Hermione did it," Astoria replied. "And don't get upset with her - she was trying to keep you from coming unglued in front of her mother. I haven't been able to transfigure for the past few months, and yes, my magic is getting weaker, but yesterday morning my magic applied my glamour charm but I couldn't make the magazine levitate. When I woke up this morning, I went to apply my glamour charm like I always do, and when I remembered my magic didn't work I looked in the mirror and was shocked that it work. But it doesn't make sense…magic doesn't just stop and go, does it?"

He scratched at the nape of his neck, trying to process what she was saying. He wracked his brain, trying to think back to a few years ago when his mother died, and the event that led up to her final days. But she was different. Her dead was the result of an unknown dark curse Voldemort used on her during the war, only to manifest itself years later. It was kind of like a cancer, if Draco thought of the similarities, but the manifestation came on so quick that by the time St. Mungo's narrowed down the handful of curses could have been causing her to deteriorate, it was too late to undo the damage. She died a day after she was admitted as a patient.

"We should go to St. Mungo's after we go to the platform," Draco resigned.

"But the children -"

"Let me worry about Scorpius and Claire," Draco said. "Just…let's get Anya on the train. Granger's meeting us there with the Potters. We'll get Anya on the train and go from there." He stood up from the bed, holding a hand out which his wife accepted, helping her stand as she slipped her feet into her heels. She had on a lovely, emerald green dress with a matching jacket, a strand of peals resting around her neck.

"Do I look like I'm on my deathbed?" Astoria asked.

Draco sighed. "You know I hate it when you talk like that."

"Just answer my question."

He leaned in and pecked her cheek with his lips. "You look like the same headache of a wife that I've always had."

Astoria laughed, grabbing her clutch from the dresser. "You're a prat."

"And a predictable one at that," he replied. "I'm going to go get Scorpius up and dressed. Eat some breakfast before we go, please."

"Of course," Astoria replied, rolling her eyes as she made her way towards the kitchen staircase.

* * *

><p>Hermione stood in the kitchen, wincing along with Ginny at the echoing sound of two heavy Hogwarts trunks banged against every step towards the front of Grimmauld Place. Grinding her teeth slightly, Ginny took a drink of her coffee while Lily and Albus sat at the kitchen table eating their cereal. "How hard is it, I ask you, to pick up a trunk?"<p>

"Maybe they're heavy?" Hermione offered.

"There's two of them. They could carry them down one at a time."

Harry walked into the kitchen, catching the last half of the conversation as he kissed his wife. "They're never going to carry the trunks, dear. Best get used to the noise."

Ginny sighed, placing her coffee mug on the counter as the boys barreled into the kitchen, taking a seat at the table. "Teddy, did you even brush your hair?"

Teddy grabbed an empty bowl and the box of cereal. "I ran my fingers through it when I got out of the shower. Does that count?"

"Not exactly," Hermione replied with a laugh.

"Did you guys pack everything?" Harry asked as he kissed the top of Lily's head. "Socks, underwear, uniforms, homework assignments…"

James nodded, pouring cereal into his bowl and taking the pitcher of milk from Teddy. "We even double checked this time."

"You better have," Ginny warned. "If I have to send you something you've 'forgotten' later this week you best be expecting a howler to come along with. You understand me?"

"Yes Mum," Teddy and James chorused with mouthfuls of cereal.

"Oh James," Hermione said suddenly, reaching into her purse as she pulled out a book. "I brought you _Tales of Beedle the Bard_ like you asked. Just be careful with it, ok? It was a very special gift."

James eyes went wide as he quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'll be careful with it - promise."

"Why do you need her copy? We have one here." Harry asked.

"It's for a uh…a book report in my History of Magic class," James quickly replied. "I was going to swipe the copy from here, but I know Mum reads it to Lily often."

Ginny ruefully laughed as she finished of her coffee. "You could have taken it," she muttered under her breath. "If I have to read 'Babbity Rabbity' one more time I might find a cackling stump to impale myself on."

Hermione and Harry chuckled, earning stares of curiosity from the kids. Albus finished his cereal first, returning his empty bowl to the sink. He hugged Ginny tightly, wrapping his tiny arms around her waist as he sighed. "Thanks for breakfast, Mummy. It was delicious."

She ruffled his shaggy head of hair and gave him a smile. "It was just cereal, buddy."

"I know," he replied. "I love you."

"Love you too. Go get your shoes and your coat, alright?"

He nodded, scampering off as Hermione watched. "We told Albus about Astoria yesterday," Ginny said, leaning against the countertop as Harry moved, standing next to his wife, their shoulders touching.

Hermione looked over to Ginny, watching as she ran her finger through her long auburn hair. "How did he take it?"

"He's said 'I love you' at least twenty times to me yesterday," Ginny replied. "Don't get me wrong - I enjoy the extra sentiment…but he's never had to think about parents dying and I guess this is his way of coping? Of course, Teddy's parents have always been gone and I tried to relate it to him in that manner, but because they've always been gone, it's a bit more to grasp."

Harry wrapped a reassuring arm around his wife's shoulder, pressing a kiss to her temple. "He'll be fine."

"Yeah Mum, he'll be fine," James said, echoing his father as he flashed her a smile.

"If you want, James and I can wind him up about being sorted in Slytherin again once it's his turn to go to Hogwarts," Teddy offered with a mischievous grin.

Ginny pointed a finger at the two of them, shaking her head. "Don't you dare."

"Just offering, Mum," Teddy replied with a laugh, standing up from the table and depositing his dirty bowl into the sink. He grabbed Lily's empty bowl as well before turning around to face the her. He reached his hands under Lily's arms and picked her up from the table, giving her a brotherly kiss on the cheek as she beamed at him. "Are you going to miss me?"

"I always miss you," Lily said with a heavy sigh. "How many days 'til you come back?"

"I'll be back in May – which is lots of days, close to four months."

"Four like me! I'm four!" She held up four fingers to reiterate her point.

"Yes you are, love," Teddy replied. "Come on now, let's get you ready so Mum can get James and I out of her hair."

James watched as Teddy carried Lily out of the kitchen while he finished up the last of his cereal. He looked back over at his mom as he picked up his empty bowl and walked towards her. "Could you and Dad maybe have another girl - a sister that likes me more than Teddy maybe?"

Harry chuckled as Ginny smirked, kissing her eldest son on the forehead as he himself laughed a bit. "Lily loves you," Ginny promised. "As for another sister - sorry, but that ship has sailed."

He laughed, kissing his mum on the cheek. "I figured as much."

"Come on now," Harry said. "We're going to be late if we dwell around here much longer."

"You know James," Hermione said as she stood up from the table. "If it's any consolation, you're still my favorite."

James wrapped an arm around Hermione as she did the same, the two of them walking out of the kitchen. "Of course I am," he said, flashing a amusing grin he could have only inherited from his father.

* * *

><p>Making sure Claire's hands were securely on the trolley cart handle, Anya counted to three as the two pushed the trolley, disappearing into the brick wall unbeknownst to the Muggles passing by as they navigated the various platforms of Kings Cross Station. Adjust his hold he had on Scorpius, Draco took his wife's hand as they walked towards the brick wall, swiftly crossing over to Platform 9 34. Looking over at his wife, she responded with a tight-lipped smile.

"I'm fine," Astoria said.

"You sure?"

"I won't repeat it," she shot back through grit teeth, catching the waves of Harry and Ginny halfway down the platform. The large clock on one of the brick pillars ticked the minute hand clicked upward. The Hogwarts Express would be taking off in fifteen minutes. As they walked down the platform, Astoria couldn't help but feel like she was being gawked at. Tightening her hold a bit with the hand she had wrapped around Draco's upper arm, she continued to look straight as she spoke. "Is my wig falling off?"

Draco glanced over at her. "No - of course not."

"Then why is everyone staring?"

They stopped long enough to put Scorpius down, as he was itching to run in the direction of Hermione. He pointed to his son as he caught Hermione's attention. "They're probably staring because we never stand this close to each other in public."

Astoria scowled. "Draco -"

"Astoria," he mimicked, watching his son until Hermione had him scooped up before turning his gaze to his wife. "They're a bunch of nosey gits. If I had a knut for every time I caught someone staring at me in public I'd have an entirely separate fortune at Gringotts. It's not worth you stressing yourself over."

They approached Ginny, Harry, and Hermione, the younger kids standing next to them while the older kids returned once their trunks were safely aboard the train. Ginny held Lily as she kissed Teddy and James goodbye. Claire stood next to Albus, watching him out of the corner of his eye as Albus couldn't help but look at Astoria every now and then. Draco shook Harry's hand like he always did and leaned in to kiss Ginny on the cheek.

He tugged a small lock of Lily's auburn hair and smiled. "How are you today, Miss Lily?"

Lily sighed. "Sad. Teddy and James are leaving me. But I still gots Albus."

Ginny laughed as Lily laid her head on her mum's shoulder. "We're a bit woefull today, if you couldn't tell."

Draco grinned, placing a hand into his wool coat and removing a 11 inch, black vine wand from his inside pocket and handed it to his eldest. "As promised."

Anya took her wand and rolled her eyes, sliding it into her coat pocket. Her scarf was visible around her neck, a garment that didn't go unnoticed by James as he grinned. "What?" she asked.

James laughed. "That's a _lovely_ scarf you're wearing."

She gave him a look. "I could say the same thing about your _hat_ - why don't you try not losing this one, eh?"

"Not likely," James replied with a grin, tugging on his knit hat so the tops of his ears would stay warm.

As the train whistle sounded the ten-minute warning, everyone turned to stare at a rather loud and obnoxious woman running in their direction, her shouts echoing above the train whistle in the most awful ways. As the five adults turned and looked at the end of the platform, Hermione's eyes went wide as Ginny made a face. "Isn't that…" she trailed off, the woman coming closer in a large decorative hat, wrapped up in a fur coat with a stole wrapped around her shoulders, the head and tail still attached.

Draco scowled. "Daphne - what in the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"Seeing my beautiful niece off to Hogwarts of course!" Daphne cried, slightly out of breath from her jog down the platform. "Anya sweetheart, come here so Auntie Daphne can give you a hug."

Anya scowled. "Not bloody likely."

"Anya really, I don't understand the hostility," Daphne cooed

"That's because you're an idiot," Anya replied with a sarcastically sweet smile, clapping a hand to her chest. She walked over to her Hermione and gave her a hug, kissing Scorpius on the cheek. "Love you," she said, tilting her head to the side as Hermione fixed the part in Anya's hair.

"Love you too, YaYa," Hermione replied.

"Yuh you YaYa!" Scorpius sang.

"Love you too, Scorp," Anya said, ruffling his hair before squatting down to Claire's height. "I'll see you this weekend, alright?"

Claire nodded, sniffling a bit as she wiped her tears away with her mittens. "Alright."

"It's ok Claire," Albus said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Don't be sad."

Anya smiled at Albus and shot Claire a quick wink as she stood upright. Turning to her parents, she noticed her Aunt Daphne managed to squeeze her way so that she was now standing between the two. Scowling, she rolled her eyes before hugging her dad, letting a small giggle slip as he picked her up off the ground. "Love you," she said, kissing his cheek. "See you on Friday."

"Love you too," Draco replied. "See you on Friday."

Anya scowled once more at her aunt, ignoring her attempts at a hug before standing in front of her mother, biting her lower lip as Astoria straightened out Anya's jacket a bit, fluffing her scarf just a bit around her neck. "Dress shopping on Saturday?"

"Dress shopping on Saturday," Astoria replied, blinking rapidly so that she wouldn't cry in front of her daughter. "We'll find the most beautiful dress."

Anya nodded quickly, blinking her own tears away. "Promise?"

"Promise," Astoria said. "Now run along and find a spot on the train."

Teddy and James had already said their goodbyes, laughing as Lily showered them both with kisses and made them promise to write her letters even though she couldn't quite read. Albus gave them both a high five before Teddy scampered off towards the train, more than likely looking for Victoire Weasley. The adults had their suspicions about the two of them, but only James knew the truth and he refused to reveal details when asked.

Ginny gave her son a final hug and a kiss on the cheek, brushing away the lip stain with her thumb as she watched Astoria and Anya out of the corner of her eye. "Keep an eye on Anya," she whispered. "Even if she resists the process by being her usual self."

James nodded. "Of course, Mum."

"You're a good boy, James Potter," Harry said, giving his son one more hug. "Try and stay out of trouble this term, please."

Laughing, James shrugged as he walked backwards. "That's rich coming from you, Dad."

"Oi! Get on the train, will ya!" Harry said with a laugh.

James grinned, turning around as he walked over to Anya, who gave her mother a gentle hug. He waited a few minutes, his jovial mood somewhat deflating as he heard Anya sniffle as Astoria pulled away. With a sigh, he lightly touched Anya's elbow, half expecting her to jerk away but was pleasantly surprised when she didn't. "If we don't get on the train now, we're going to be forced to share a compartment."

Anya slid her glove back onto her hand and sniffled once more. "Too good to share a compartment with me?"

"More like the other way around," James countered. "Unless you care to prove me wrong this time."

She rolled her eyes. Waving goodbye, the adults watched as Anya rattled on about who knows what while James shook his head, the two of them bickering about something only they could bicker about as they nudged each other while walking. With the final whistle, all of the Hogwarts children popped their heads out of the window and waved to the parents as the train began to pull away from the platform. As the train started slowly to roll away, Anya and James popped their heads out of the same window, waving primarily at their siblings before popping back into their compartment.

Daphne loudly scoffed as he watched the train pull away from the platform. "Honestly, Astoria," she said. "That girl of yours ought to be keeping better company if you know what I mean."

"Excuse me?" Ginny asked, her voice shrill as Harry prevented her from taking a step forward. "Who in the hell do you think you are talking about my son that way?"

Harry kept a hold of his wife on the arm, gently leading her, his kids, and Claire away from Daphne as he could see Draco's jaw set with a piercing stare at his sister-in-law. "We're going to head out to the parking lot - we'll meet you out there."

Daphne sneered at Ginny, who returned the look with gusto. "Blood traitor," she muttered under her breath as soon as Ginny was out of hearing distance.

"Why must you always be like this?" Astoria said, taking a handkerchief from Draco as she dabbed her eyes.

"Well _someone_ ought to be taking a better interest in who your daughter associates with," Daphne continued in a snotty, breathy voice. "It's like you'll let her associate with anyone and it reflects poorly on our family name!"

Hermione walked over and placed a hand on Draco's arm, squinting her eyes shut momentarily as she waited for the impending explosion. "It's not your family name, it's my name - my name - and I'm fine with her associating with the Potter boy. She is my daughter, not yours, and if you were wise you would disappear from my sight this instant."

"I was just -"

"Go!" Draco hissed.

With a huff, Daphne stormed off, disapparating a few feet away with a loud crack. Astoria sniffled, still using her husband's handkerchief. Scorpius leaned towards his mother, opening and closing his hands quickly. Pocketing the handkerchief, Astoria took her son into her arms and let him hug her. He might have only just turned two, but Scorpius was very sensitive to other's feelings, especially his parents. Draco watched his wife for a moment, making sure she had a good hold on him before he followed her with Hermione at his side towards the exit. Hermione shoved her hands into the pockets of her black wool coat, her heels clicking against the concrete with each step.

"I might kill her," Draco muttered. "She'd be worth spending a few years in Azkaban at the rate she's going."

"Yes. Let's orphan the children," Astoria sarcastically quipped, not even bothering to look back. "Brilliant plan, Draco. Because my impending death clearly isn't enough to scar them for life."

Draco scowled. "Again - would you please quit talking like that?"

They crossed through the brick wall, back onto the Muggle platform as they made their way towards the exit leading to the parking lot. Astoria pressed a kiss to Scorpius' cheek and stopped, turning to hand him off to Draco. "He's getting too heavy for me," she explained.

Draco grabbed his son, adjusting his hat so it covered his small ears. He wasn't in the mood to deal with an ear infection on top of everything else and thankfully, his son wasn't balking at wearing at the hat like he usually did. Approaching the parking lot, he saw Ginny loading the kids, including Claire, into their minivan. He was confused for a moment before remembering he owled Ginny that morning asking her to watch the kids while he went up to Hogwarts, before the St. Mungo's trip appeared on his list of things to do.

"You ready to go bye-bye?" Ginny asked, reaching for Scorpius as he grinned.

"Vroom!" he squealed as Ginny placed him in the car seat. "Bye-bye!"

Draco and Astoria waved back at Scorpius, who was perfectly content sitting next to Lily in her booster seat while Claire and Albus stood by the van. "Ginny, thanks again," he said, giving Claire a hug and a kiss.

"Harry told you we don't mind," Ginny replied. "I know Harry mentioned something about securing a place for Scorpius at the Ministry daycare but if I would be more than happy to watch him. That is of course as long as your sister-in-law doesn't feel like my influence will taint your family image."

Draco laughed. "My daughters lectured me on the 'improper' use of house elves this morning, Ginny – if we're worried about anyone tainting the Malfoy name, it's going to be done by Granger."

"Hey!" Hermione exclaimed. "If anything, my affiliation with you only makes you look better."

"She has a point," Harry chimed in, helping Claire into the van so she could walk through to the back seat where her booster chair was sitting. "Albus – hop in buddy."

Albus scratched the insides of his hands, despite wearing gloves as he looked at his dad for a moment before running the short distance from the van to Astoria. She was shocked when she felt his arms wrap around his waist, hugging her tight, while her own arms awkwardly hung at her sides.

"Albus…" Ginny said.

He looked up at Astoria with the same bright green eyes his father had and sighed. "I'm sorry you can't get better, Miss Astoria."

Despite her best attempts to speak, Astoria couldn't make a sound. Gently, she hugged the boy in return and watched as he scampered back towards the van, jumping inside and giving Scorpius a high five as he made his way to the back seat. Draco went to reach for Astoria, but she shrugged him off, weakly smiling as she nodded towards where their car was. "I'm just…I'm sorry I need…"

Draco watched as she quickly walked over to the car, the driver opening her door as she stepped inside, hidden behind the tinted windows once the driver closed her in. "Sorry," he apologized on her behalf. "She's just tired. Granger – I'll see you back at the office."

Hermione nodded. "Did you still…do you want me to come with you to Hogwarts still at noon?"

He shook his head. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure –"

"Granger I said I would be fine!"

She jumped at his tone, despite her face remaining neutral. Watching him all but storm off in the direction of his car, Hermione turned her head at Harry and sighed with a smile. "Fancy a ride on the tube? It's only four stops to one of the Ministry entrances."

Harry nodded. "Certainly." He gave his wife a hug and a kiss. "See you tonight."

"Don't be late," Ginny replied. "I'm making your favorite tonight and you know it always tastes best when it hasn't been reheated."

He grinned, kissing her once more. "In that case, I just might be a bit early."

"Well off with you then," she laughed. "The sooner you leave the sooner you'll be home."

* * *

><p>James and Anya sat next to each other on the train, the only two in their train car, saying nothing for the longest time. The treat trolley had already passed them twice and on the third time, James bought two pumpkin juices and a package of licorice to share.<p>

"Thanks," Anya said, snapping the cap off of the bottle.

"No problem," he replied. "You know, I'm surprised your friends haven't come looking for you."

She shrugged. "Maybe they aren't really my friends."

James laughed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well like you said – they haven't come looking for me, have they?"

"Fair point," James replied, tearing the top off the box of licorice. He pulled a licorice wand out and offered it to Anya, which she accepted before he pulled a piece out for himself. Silent once more, James watched the countryside pass as he chomped away on his candy. "Oi!" he suddenly exclaimed, leaping to his feet as he reached for his rucksack on the rack above their heads. "I completely forgot to tell you – Aunt Hermione let me borrow her book."

Anya's eyes widened a bit as James pulled out what was probably one of the original copies of _Tales of Beedle the Bard. _ She remembered Hermione reading her stories out of the book when she was younger, as she didn't own a copy of the book herself. Not that it mattered, considering her mother wasn't one to read her stories. Her dad would have read to her if she asked, but reading was something she left to just her and Hermione. "She bought the book report story?"

"She didn't question it," James replied. "Though you can feel free to fill me in at any time."

Opening the book, she dragged a finger over the inked in mark on the upper right corner of the page. "Do you think the deathly hallows exist?"

"You mean like in the story?"

"Obviously. What else would I mean?"

James shrugged. "I don't know…Dad has an invisibility cloak, though he has it locked away for fear of Teddy using it to sneak off with Victoire. They're rare, but its not like he has the only one. Why?"

Anya shrugged. "No reason I guess."

"You're a terrible liar."

"James…"

"Whatever it is you can tell me," he said. "You know I won't tell."

"Like how you don't tell when I sneak over to your room?"

James jaw dropped. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. One - sleeping together when we were little is much different than sleeping together now - it's improper. Two - your dad finding you in my bed may as well be signing my death certificate and three - I always give you the courtesy of passing out before Dad takes you back. That's totally different than whatever this is."

Anya gave him a look. "Are you calling me improper?"

"No…but you're a girl…with girl parts now…"

She gave him a wry grin. "Um, James, I've always had 'girl parts'. Being a girl isn't something new that I'm suddenly experiencing."

His cheeks blushed slightly. "I uh, no, what I meant to say, is that you have _visible_ girl parts and…and…I don't know! It just isn't proper! Just tell me why you need the book?"

"Because I do!" Anya exclaimed, her finger still rubbing against the mark. "I feel better reading it sometimes…I can hear Hermione reading it to me in my head and it relaxes me."

James dropped his shoulders, watching as she fiddled with the fringe along the edge of her scarf. "Why didn't you ask Aunt Hermione for it?"

"I was embarrassed," she said. "She's already worried about me, no need to give her another reason."

"Everyone's worried about you," James said. "Your siblings too."

She took another licorice wand out of the box, tearing off a bite with her teeth as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Don't worry about me," she whispered. "Please? I just need someone to be normal."

Laughing, James wrapped his arm around her shoulders as her head leaned against his chest. "We're on the train to school sharing space. What about this is normal?"

Anya rolled her eyes. "You complain when I'm an ass at school, you complain that I'm nice to you now - what exactly is it that you want from me, James Potter?"

"You mean I get to choose? What a banner day I'm having."

She sighed, rolling her eyes again. "I'm actually trying here. I can't say I'll always be successful…but I am trying."

"Well…if I'm getting a preference, then I choose the girl who sat with me on the train when we were eleven, before she was sorted into Slytherin and became too good to be seen with a Gryffindor."

Anya took another bite of her licorice. "I'll see what I can do." She glanced out the window and sighed. "How much longer do we have on the train?"

"A good couple of hours," James replied. "Why?"

She yawned. "No reason. Why haven't your annoyingly chipper Gryffindor friends come searching for you?"

James shrugged. "I usually ride the train alone."

"Really?"

"Yeah…gives me time to think."

Anya yawned again. "Oh. Well I'll let you get back to thinking, because I'm going to take a nap."

"You want me to move to the other bench?"

She shook her head no. "You're fine right here. Unless of course my _visible girl parts_ gross you out."

"Anya?"

"Yes?"

He gave her a slight hug with the arm wrapped around her. "Shut up."

* * *

><p>Taking a seat on the tube, Harry nudged Hermione with his elbow, eliciting a small smile from her lips. The tube screeched to a halt on the first of four stops, everyone swaying forward a bit before leaning back. "He's just stressed, you know."<p>

"I know," she replied. "You act like I'm not used to it."

"He hasn't snapped at you like that in a while though, am I right?"

Hermione shrugged. "It really isn't that big of a deal. Do you want to grab lunch today?"

"Sure, what are you thinking?"

"Maybe the pizza place on Maiden Lane?"

His eyes brightened. "Brilliant! We haven't been there in forever!"

She smirked. "Consider it sorted."

"Pizza for lunch…steak for dinner…I'm having a banner day, Hermione. A banner day indeed."

She giggled, holding onto one of the metal poles next to her seat as the tube stopped at their second to last stop. "I'm so thrilled I was able to help contribute to your oh-so wonderful day."

Harry smirked, linking his arm with hers. "You should be - it's hard to be impressed - being _The Chosen One _and all."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're incorrigible."

"No, I'm _The Chosen One_. Big difference."

* * *

><p>Draco stood in front of the entrance of Hogwarts, the wind crisp as it scratched against his skin. It was a slightly eerie place to be when it was empty, though he was certain he'd find a few students who stayed over the winter holiday inside, eating lunch in the Great Hall or getting a head start on homework in the library. Astoria was back at home, sleeping if she followed Draco's direct orders. He hoped she did, anyway, as their trip to the healer kept replaying in their head over and over again.<p>

"_Why would you have said six months if you didn't mean six months?" Draco barked as he sat with his wife in Healer Nelson's private office. "Where do you get off lying to people and toying with their lives!" _

_Healer Nelson and his ever present, calm demeanor, sat quietly in his chair, waiting for Draco's ranting to cease. "Mister Malfoy, he said. "I said best-case scenario was six months. Sometimes, we don't get the best-case scenario. No one anticipated your wife's magic to drain at such a rapid rate." _

"_But it came back this morning," Astoria said. "It was non-existent last night, but this morning, it worked." _

_Sitting forward in his chair, Healer Nelson clasped his hands together and rested them on his desk. "That can happen…your magic is recharged in a sense with rest - in your case - a good night's sleep. With this happening so rapidly after ceasing treatment…" he sighed, removing his wire rimmed glasses from his face. "Astoria, if your affairs aren't in order, they need to be, and now." _

"Mister Malfoy, what on earth are you doing standing out here in the freezing cold?"

He snapped out of his thoughts, finding an irritated headmistress in front of him. "Sorry…I was thinking."

"Well might I suggest you do it someplace a bit warmer?" she suggested, motioning for him to follow her into the castle. "I'm alright with you requesting a meeting, but I most certainly will not freeze in the process."

Following, he rubbed his bare hands together, warming them up as he hustled inside behind her. The shuffles of their feet echoed through the silent halls of Hogwarts as Draco followed his former teacher to her office, jogging up the stone spiral staircase to her office. He never found himself in this office for just a visit. He was always in some sort of trouble.

"I'm assuming this is in regards to your situation with your wife," Professor McGonagall said, sitting at her desk as Draco sat in the chair next to her desk, popping the buttons of his coat with a flick of his thumb and forefinger.

"Astoria…ceased treatments over the break, last week, actually," Draco hoarsely stated, clearing his throat. "Initially, I thought if we could collect Anya on the weekends - Fridays after her morning classes and bring her back Sunday night it would allow her to continue…her studies but still spend time…with her mother but now…"

Professor McGonagall reached her hand out, grasping his with a tight squeeze. "What is it, Mister Malfoy?"

He couldn't stop the tear that escaped his eye in time. "She was supposed to have _months_," he bitterly spat. "Months to make things right with the children - with Anya especially - but she was sicker than even the healer's knew." He scraped away another threatening tear with his thumb. "I wanted a divorce. I wanted for her to take herself and her selfish, irritating ways and to leave me and the children alone - see them every other weekend, watch Scorpius while I was at work since he was still a baby. I used to tell myself every day for so long that if I could just get _rid _of her my life would be better and now…"

Draco glanced up at Dumbledore's portrait, then over at Snape's…and for a moment he felt like both of them were viewing him with a sort of pity. Professor McGonagall looked up in the direction of Draco's gaze and smiled. "You know, I often look up there…when I need guidance of sorts."

"Dumbledore maybe, but Snape?" Draco ruefully chuckled. "I wasn't aware the two of you even liked each other."

Professor McGonagall let a laugh slip from her usually stern lips. "Yes, well, even Severus had his finer points, despite our differences." She gave his hand one more squeeze before letting go. "Just stay in contact with me - I'll let Anya's teachers know the situation, and we can make whatever accommodations we need to make."

Nodding, Draco looked down at the ground, shuffling his feet against the cement floor as he sat. He cleared his throat again and sighed. "Also…Granger is to be listed as an emergency contact for Anya, just as I am. Anything I can do or should know, Granger should um…she should have the same authority."

"Hermione Granger?"

"Unless there's another one. Now that I think of it, let's hope there's only one."

Professor McGonagall sat back in her chair. "I didn't realize you two had become friends."

"You don't keep up with the gossip much, do you Professor?"

"Do I appear to you as someone who entertains in such frivolity like gossip?"

Draco snorted. "Not exactly."

"I will make sure the appropriate personnel are aware of your request regarding Miss Granger. Now, I'm sure you have more important things to do other than dwell in my office, am I right?"

Draco stood up, extending his hand for Professor McGonagall to shake, which she kindly accepted. He looked around her office once more, noticing not much had changed since his childhood. They walked out of the office together, traipsing down the spiral staircase as it sank back down to the ground. Walking towards the front door, he saw two students wearing their street clothes and Ravenclaw scarves run past them, their laughs filling the halls. Soon the trains would arrive, and the school would be back to normal.

"You know…it's funny," he said, wistfully looking around the Hogwarts entryway. "This place was the only place I felt normal."

"Normal? Dear child, have you forgotten everything that happened to you?" Professor McGonagall inquired with a small gasp.

"A bit pathetic, I know, but until I mended that bloody vanishing cabinet, this was my sanctuary of sorts. I never should have treated it with such disrespect," Draco confessed, his voice plain as day as he rebuttoned his coat.

Professor McGonagall placed a kind hand on his shoulder. "You were caught in an impossible situation."

He sighed, shoving his hands deep into his coat pockets. "Some days, Professor, I feel like my entire life is an impossible situation."

* * *

><p><strong><em>I was going to do it this chapter and I couldn't. I might be a bit more attached than I care to admit. Obviously, it's going to happen...but not today. I'll be blogging it about for sure later, as well as 'Building a Life' - which I'll update hopefully by the week's end.<em>  
><strong>


	11. Chapter 11

_**Yes...I updated. Trust me when I say it took everything I had in me to finish it tonight. Between tornados, stomach viruses, my job...I'm sorry I'm not updating as quickly as you all are used to but that's how it's probably going to be for awhile. Trust me - I'm just as sad about it as you are. I am hoping for a BAL update later this week, maybe next, but I just highlighted and deleted everything I wrote because I hated it...so I'm thinking it'll be more of a next week update. **_

**_I hope this chapter was worth the wait...and I apologize for any errors. I'll proof it later when I'm not as sick of looking at it lol._**

* * *

><p>Draco didn't return to work after leaving Hogwarts. Despite that being his initial intention, he instead found himself at the gates of his father's estate, the large, wrought iron entrance opening as he moved easily through the security wards. Hands shoved deep into his pockets, he figured while he was out and about making the rounds, he may as well have a conversation he'd been putting off having with his father, as he hadn't spoken to him since the Christmas holiday - the two of them barely exchanging fifteen words between them.<p>

Once inside the dark and dreary manor, he was greeted by an older, lurch of a man with a crooked back to match his crooked stare. While his father may have escaped an Azkaban sentence for his role in the Second Wizarding War, he did manage some repercussions of his own - one of them being that he was no longer allowed to own house elves. He was to employ actual people, and to pay them a fair wage as designated by the Wizengamot.

"Mister Malfoy."

"Thomas," Draco replied, walking inside. "Could you please tell me where I might find my father?"

"Master Malfoy is in his study like always, but he doesn't wished to be disturbed because he -"

Draco rolled his eyes, his hand cutting off the help. "Yes, well, we can't always get what we want, now can we Thomas?"

Thomas lumbered after Draco as he jogged up the stairs, giving up about halfway as his continued pleas were ignored. Strolling through to the east wing of the manor, Draco ignored the grumbles and snide comments from the paintings, calling him the 'ungrateful heir' and a 'disgrace' to the Malfoy name. Shortly after the war, when his ways of viewing the wizarding world began to slowly evolve, the sneers from the paintings used to set him on edge. Nowadays, he was able to ignore them, though today, on top of the stress of everything else, he was ready to take a wand to a few of them.

Hearing familiar voices outside the door of his father's study, Draco steeled his nerves, rolling his head from side to side as the bones in his neck cracked. Hands on both the handles of the door, he wrenched the handles down and pushed them open, finding his father sitting with his in-laws, Lloyd and Helena Greengrass, and Daphne, all of them holding saucers with teacups as they sat in a circle, all of them looking up to no good.

"I see Thomas has done his job _once again_ and ignored my request to keep people away," Lucius drawled, setting his saucer down on the table next to him as he balanced a hand on the silver handle of his walking stick.

"Hello, Father," Draco replied with a sarcastic stare. "Lloyd, Helena."

His in-laws gave a curt nod, while Daphne sat there, looking rather put out. "No hello for me?" she asked.

"I believe I said everything I needed to say to you this morning," Draco tersely replied.

"Now, now, Draco. Let's not be rude," Lucius drawled. "In fact, we were just speaking about you, weren't we?"

Draco sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Look - you all need to quit wasting your time on whatever it is you are speaking about and listen to me. Astoria is dying. Quickly. If she is here next week I will be utterly shocked. Her magic is disappearing as we speak, and you all need to quit plotting whatever it is you are plotting and get ready to say goodbye."

Lloyd and Helena appeared slightly taken aback, while Daphne shook her head and stifled a giggle as she set her saucer down on the coffee table in front of her. "He's exaggerating, honestly. I saw her this morning - she looked fine."

"Fine?" Draco questioned. "Fine! She's gaunt and exhausted and donning a wig! Look at me you daft woman and listen to what I am saying. Your. Sister. Is. Dying. She isn't getting better!"

Helena cleared her throat as she used her hand to lightly pat her graying hair in the low chignon against the back of her neck. "Draco, if it…is as bad as you say it is, why hasn't she contacted us?"

"Because she thought she had six months. She was going to meet you sometime this week," Draco curtly replied. "But we just left St. Mungo's and I'm telling you this is happening now. You need to get ready to say goodbye."

Lloyd shook his head, looking down into his teacup for a moment before turning his attention back to his son-in-law. "No what we need to do is figure out what to do with the children."

Draco could hardly contain the laugh. "There's nothing 'to do' with them, Lloyd. I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes, but they obviously will need a mother and I believe I can be the most suitable replaceme-"

"Daphne," Draco ground out, his teeth clenched together. "Listen to my words, as I may never have the restraint to speak this slowly ever again. I. Will not. Marry you. I. Will not. Allow you to raise. My children. Are. We. Clear?"

"Draco," Lucius stoically interjected, giving his son a slight glare. "Your…unfortunate choice of a career is time consuming. You cannot possibly take care of them and work at the same time."

"You cannot possibly tell me that you care about my children's well being," Draco mimicked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat he had yet to remove. "Besides. I have a plan. Astoria's plan, really, but it's a plan nevertheless."

Lucius adjusted his grip on the handle of his walking stick, his long white hair pulled back low, fastened by a plain black ribbon. "What is your plan, exactly?"

"That's for Astoria to divulge," Draco replied with a hint of a satisfaction. "Lloyd, Helena…please come see your daughter today. I beg you. The little ones are with Ginny Potter, Anya's heading back to Hogwarts as we speak, and I'd prefer you come when the children are away. Claire is already sad that her sister is gone, and I don't need her sorrow exacerbated with whatever may transpire with you two at the house. Not today, anyway."

He watched as his in-laws exchanged glances with one another for a moment. Despite the fact that he hadn't been their favorite person these past few years and vice versa, he did feel for them, from one parent to another. He couldn't imagine losing a child, regardless of age. The animosity Draco held for his in-laws was not nearly as strong as it had been before he and Astoria agreed to divorce, despite their parents 'forbidding' said action, but before he and Astoria had come to terms, Draco couldn't stand to be in the same room as them. The contempt came from all directions - the fact that they sought his parents out for an arranged marriage for their own selfish gain, the horror that rivaled their daughter's when their firstborn child was a daughter and not a son, and how that horror managed to increase when daughter number two arrived. Then, when the two of them had the audacity to do a complete about face and become these doting and cooing grandparents towards Scorpius while his daughters stood there like castaways, Draco knew he'd reached his limit.

"Well?" Draco asked Lloyd and Helena. "Will you go?"

Lloyd gave a simple nod, while Helena stayed silent. "I shall go with them," Daphne interjected, dramatically placing a hand on her mother's arm for what Draco assumed was support, or sympathy of some kind. "After all, we need to all be in the loop on this so called 'plan' of my sister's."

Draco couldn't contain the urge to roll his eyes. "Honestly, Daphne, I could give a damn what you. I'm off work at five o'clock - I better not find you in my house when I return home."

"Draco," Lucius said, the emphasis on the second syllable of his son's name. "Is there anything I can do?"

Stunned by the question, Draco stood silent for a moment before a laugh escaped his lips. "Just do what you've always done for me, Father. Absolutely nothing."

* * *

><p>"Miss Ginny?"<p>

Ginny looked down at Claire, who had been snuggled up against her since the beginning of the movie. Lily was asleep against her other side, while Albus sat in his father's recliner, reading a book about dragons. "Miss Claire?" she repeated with a smile, her fingers playing with one of her long blond curls.

Claire exhaled a heavy sigh. "What do you think people do in Heaven?"

"Heaven?"

"That's where Grandma Jean says people go when then die," she clarified, her voice soft. "When Nana Cissa died, Grandma Jean said it was ok to be sad, and when people die, they go to Heaven. So…what do you think they do?"

"In Heaven?"

"Yes."

Ginny chewed on the inside of her cheek, contemplating her answer. She noticed Claire's question caught her son's attention as well, which made her all the more nervous about making sure gave the right answer. Growing up in a completely magical world where ghosts and poltergeists were a thing of the norm, Ginny didn't have the notion about Heaven as a child. When wizards and witches died, they could choose to stay around as a ghost, or they could peacefully move to the afterlife. Heaven wasn't a concept she was familiar with until she met Harry and Hermione, and became more aware of what Muggles believed about life and death.

Sighing, Ginny gave Claire a squeeze and sighed. "I guess I've never really given it much thought."

Claire picked at her nails, the polish from her impromptu manicure at Hermione's chipping away. "Grandma Jean says Heaven can be whatever you want it to be. She says Heaven can be whatever makes you the happiest…but how can you be happy if you're away from everyone forever?"

"Oh Claire," Ginny said, kissing the top of her head as Lily snuggled closer to Ginny in her sleepy state.

"Maybe Hermione's mummy means that Heaven is supposed to a place that makes you so happy it distracts you from being sad that you're gone," Albus offered, closing his book but keeping a finger in between the pages he was reading so he wouldn't lose his place. "I bet if Uncle Fred is in Heaven, he's surrounded by so many jokes and pranks…and I bet he misses everyone, especially Uncle George, but he probably has so much to look at and try out that it keeps him from feeling sad."

Claire thought about Albus' words and Ginny couldn't help but grin slightly as the little girl chewed on her lower lip, just like her best friend did when the gears upstairs were turning. "I bet if Nana Cissa is in Heaven, she is surrounded by lots and lots of sparkly jewels, because that's what she liked best."

"That must be where you get it from," Ginny said with a smile, nodding at the large, faux ruby ring on her right hand.

"Daddy thinks so too," Claire replied. "He always says I gots excellent taste."

* * *

><p>It was well after lunch by the time Draco returned to the Ministry, and he found himself in Potter's office, dropping into the visitor's chair with a thud. Harry looked up from his reports and snorted before returning to his work. "Are you lost?"<p>

"No."

"You sure you aren't looking for someone a bit more petite? A long, wavy haired brunette to be exact?"

Draco removed his gloves and shoved them into his pockets. "I have to apologize when I see her."

"So you're avoiding her."

"For the moment."

Harry laughed, dropping his quill and removing his glasses. He leaned back in his chair and looked at Draco, looking far too exhausted than a man should at his age, and smiled. "It's been my experience that avoiding Hermione often makes whatever you've done to upset her a bit worse."

Draco nodded, popping the buttons of his coat loose. "She'll cut me some slack. She always does."

"So it appears," Harry drawled. "Why do you suppose that is?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," Draco replied. "Let's just hope that whatever it is, I never run out of it."

Harry was well aware that Draco Malfoy never came into his office for idle chitchat, but also knew that Draco wasn't one who enjoyed being prodded for information. Figuring he would wait for him to speak first, Harry began to idly organize his desk - which was nothing more than merely making the stacks and piles a bit straighter.

"What if I moved to the reserves?" Draco asked after a few silent minutes.

"Reserves?"

"You know…called into work when necessary. That sort of thing."

Harry shrugged. "Our reserves rarely see work as it is…not a whole lot of trouble looming around the wizarding world these days. It could make sense for you, I guess, but if you're worried about missing work - don't be - because I'm not."

Draco waved him off. "It's not fair to the other blokes."

"You do desk work," Harry argued. "Trust me - they aren't worried about it either. We have other desk workers that can pick up the slack when you aren't here. You do what you have to do. No one is going to think ill of you for doing otherwise."

"You realize who you're talking to, right? People think ill of me regardless of the situation."

"Not the ones that matter," Harry replied, looking Draco directly in the eye.

"Aw," Draco playfully sneered. "Are you telling me that I matter to you?"

Harry mockingly scowled. "You matter to Hermione, and she matters to me. Plus, I happen to be fond of your children."

Sighing, Draco smirked. "Well…you matter to Granger, and she…matters…to me. I also happen to be a bit fond of your children as well. Lily's my favorite, of course."

"Lily, you say?" Harry questioned. "Dare I ask why?"

"No particular reason," Draco replied. "She just is. Probably because she looks nothing like you."

"Funny - she's my favorite for that very same reason."

The two settled back into a relatively comfortable silence, Harry flipping through recent arrest files while Draco twiddled this thumbs, his mind reeling through the day's events. He hoped his in-laws went over to see Astoria like they promised, though they rarely did what they said they would do. They helped with the children every so often, but they always acted as if it was the world's biggest chore, and when they did so in Draco's presence, he always snapped and found an immediate alternative. He knew what it was like to grow up feeling that your presence was rarely wanted, and he never wanted his children to feel the same. Thankfully, between Hermione, her parents, and the Potters, Draco always managed to have a backup plan. His mother loved his children when she was alive - that much Draco knew. Narcissa loved them privately, much as she showed her love for Draco, and doted on them privately during moments when his father's attention was drawn somewhere else.

Sighing once more, Draco slouched a bit further in Harry's visitor's chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could feel Harry staring at him every now and then, but was too absorbed in other thoughts to tell him to quit. It was also a bit rude to yell at a man when choosing said man's office to avoid the inevitable.

The inevitable was proving to be sooner than he wished for, as the sound of a familiar heel click to a certain short and somewhat quick gait grew close to the Head Auror's office. Harry looked up as the clicks stopped at his doorway.

"Harry I - oh sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Hermione's voice abruptly clipped at the sight of the platinum head seated in front of Harry's desk. "I have those reports you said you'd give to the Minister when you meet with him later."

Harry laughed, reaching for the reports in Hermione's hand. "Yes, and don't worry - you aren't interrupting anything. Malfoy's just hiding."

"Hiding? From what?"

Draco sighed. "Life," he grumbled, standing to his feet.

"Why don't you call it a day, mate," Harry offered. "You too, Hermione. I'm sure you've got everything caught up for months."

Hermione blushed. "I wouldn't say _months_."

"I can't go home," Draco replied. "At least not until five. Astoria's parents might be there with her idiot sister and I just cannot…anyway, I told them I would be home at five."

"Then go for a walk," Harry offered. "Or back to Hermione's place. You look a mess, and it's not like you have any concentration left in you to be productive. Come back tomorrow. Start the day fresh. Ginny can watch the kids tomorrow if need be. You know she will."

Draco nodded as he buttoned his coat back up with one hand. "I have a spot secured for Scorpius at the daycare once Claire goes back to school."

"Good," Harry replied. "Though if you aren't comfortable with that, I'm sure Ginny would watch him during the day."

"Thanks, but I kind of like the idea of bringing him to work…seeing him during the day," Draco confessed. "But if it doesn't work out, I'll take you up on the offer."

Harry nodded, his gaze shifting to Hermione. "I'll make sure Kingsley gets these if you promise to be done for the day."

Hermione sarcastically rolled her eyes, holding one hand against her opposite arm. "Fine."

"Don't make it sound like such a sacrifice," Harry mocked. "Now go - I promised Gin I'd be home on time this evening and it's a promise I intend to keep."

Draco nodded, filing out of Harry's office with Hermione right behind him. As Hermione veered towards his office, Draco made his way towards the assistant they shared, standing in front of the woman for a good minute before she registered his presence.

"Oh!" Lucille exclaimed, quickly covering up the bit of parchment she was scribbling on, undoubtedly a piece of gossip by her extravagant means of hiding her 'work.' "Can I do something for you, Mister Malfoy?"

_Your job_ was sitting on the tip of his tongue, but he could see Hermione in the corner of his eye, bundled in her coat, and didn't want another lecture from her on how he speaks to Lucille. "Were there any messages for me while I was out?" he asked instead in a short and clipped tone.

Lucille scurried and scrambled her hands amid her desk for a few moments before locating a few pieces of scrap parchment clipped together. "Nothing important," she said, giving him a look as Hermione was now standing next to him. "Miss Granger, can I help you?"

"No, just leaving a bit early for the day," Hermione replied. "Please take any messages and leave them on my desk for me to review in the morning."

"Certainly, Miss Granger," Lucille replied with a mischievous smirk. "Am I to assume that Mister Malfoy is gone for the remainder of the day as well?"

Draco narrowed his gaze at Lucille; whose smile somewhat dissipated from her obnoxiously red lips. "Assume nothing, Lucille. It only makes you look like an ass."

* * *

><p>"You didn't even say it correctly!"<p>

Draco, flat on his back on Hermione's couch, had heard nothing but Hermione's squawking voice since she apologized to Lucille on his behalf and shoved him outside the Ministry they could apparate to her flat. Digging the palms of his hands into his eyes, he did little to hide his groan as Hermione prattled on, returning to the couch with two cups of coffee.

"The saying is that you _shouldn't assume_ because it makes an _ass out of you and me_ - thus spelling out the word 'assume," Hermione continued on. "Honestly, Draco, if you're going to use muggle quotes you could at least use them correctly."

"Assuming makes you look like an ass. She looked like an ass. I paraphrased."

"Sit up," Hermione bossed. Draco tilted his torso up just high enough so she could sit down, his head dropping back down so that his neck was propped up with the side of her thigh. "I told you to be nicer to her."

"I tried. Trust me."

"Yes. You looked like you were trying _really hard_ when you called her an ass."

Draco took the cup of coffee she handed to him and took a sip as Hermione leaned back into the couch. "Listen," he said, trying to reason. "You know she probably wrote down some note of garbage about us doing Merlin only knows what in that addle minded head of hers."

"Draco stop!" Hermione exclaimed, almost spitting her mouthful of coffee everywhere. "Just because you're having a rotten day doesn't mean you can just verbally vomit on anyone who comes in your path!"

He set his coffee on the table in front of them and sighed as Hermione placed her coffee next to his. She laid a hand on top of his chest, startled slightly as he clapped a hand over hers. "I didn't mean to snap at you today. Lucille, maybe. But not you. I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Hermione said, her voice somewhat surprised as Draco kept his hand over hers. "Though to be fair, I probably shouldn't have pressed you."

"No, I shouldn't have snapped. But it was best you didn't come. I somehow found myself at my father's house, and your presence certainly wouldn't have done me any good," Draco replied. Holding his hand around Hermione's, he took in a deep breath and gave her the rundown, from the visit with the healer to his meeting with McGonagall, and how he wound up finding his father undoubtedly scheming with his in-laws and Daphne at the Manor.

She stayed silent like she always did, listening to him ramble until there was nothing left for him to speak of before she mentally organized his thoughts in a way to present them with a bit of perspective he was currently without. Only this time, there wasn't much perspective to give. His wife was dying, his father was conspiring…there wasn't any way to spin those facts. No way to make them sound better or find a way to make them seem tolerable. It was what it was. Hermione could see by the incessant yawning that Draco wasn't sleeping well. Her free hand absently scratched his scalp as he let go of his hold on her other hand, rolling onto his side as he kept his neck perched against her thigh.

"You know," Hermione said quietly. "It's only a little past three. Why don't you go into the spare room and take a nap? I'll wake you when it's time to go get the children."

He shook his head, hugging his arms to his chest. "It won't matter. I haven't been able to sleep properly in weeks."

"Draco…"

"Seriously, Granger," Draco said through a yawn. Digging his wand from his pocket, he summoned the blanket sitting on the chair and draped it over him. "I'm comfortable right here."

Hermione sighed, a finger still raking through his somewhat disheveled locks. "Alright," she whispered. Reaching for the remote, she clicked on the telly and set the volume down low, watching the Muggle news. She could feel Draco relax against her as her fingers moved down to the nape of his neck, her nails lightly grazing against his skin before her fingers began to knead into the stiff muscles of his neck. Before long, Hermione heard a snore escape Draco's thin lips, and that's when her fingers stopped. Pulling the blanket up a bit to his shoulders, she leaned back into the couch, relaxing a bit herself.

She wasn't sure what it was - the heightened emotions of the week's events, Astoria's request, or herself thinking and reading more into things than she should - but Hermione was beginning to feel different. Not necessarily a bad different, per say, but different nevertheless. Today, for example, was almost surreal for her. When Draco snapped at her unnecessarily - not just this morning but any time - she usually snapped right back at him, earning a prompt apology from Draco. But today she didn't press him. She just left it alone, choosing to leave with Harry. While she was at work and he was out running errands, Hermione missed him. Catching herself looking across the hall at his darkened office more than she cared to admit, she nearly bowled Harry over with her excitement over lunch because it would prove to be a better distraction than the nonessential work she was busying herself with at her desk.

But occupying herself with Harry was a bad habit. It's what she used to do in school, when she was trying to distract herself from Ron infuriating her or driving her completely mental. Hermione would use Harry to distract her from what she didn't or wasn't willing to face - which was fine at sixteen but mental at thirty-two. _ But was there anything to face_? she wondered to herself. Did it matter that she enjoyed being in Draco's presence, even if his mood was less than stellar? Was it really that big of a deal that she secretly liked it when she found herself alone with him, even if he was snoring with his head in her lap? Is she reading too much into the fact that he said he hadn't been able to sleep properly in weeks, but when next to her he was out like a light?

_You're just being silly, Hermione, _she silently scolded herself. _This is nothing more than friendship. Comforting one another, because that's what friends do. It's what makes someone a good friend. Accountability. Reliability._

Draco stirred a little in his sleep, calming as Hermione slid a hand under the blanket, pressing her palm gently against his shirt-clad back, rubbing small, soothing circles. As he exhaled a small sigh, his head nuzzled against her a bit which made her heart flutter just a half a beat faster.

As her mind played out every 'what if' scenario about fifteen steps too far, she didn't notice the minutes tick away until it was nearly five o'clock. Ginny would be expecting Draco any minute, but as she looked back down at his sleeping state, she hated to wake him. "Draco," she whispered, nudging his shoulder a bit with her hand. "Draco it's almost five."

"Hmm?" he mumbled.

"The children. We have to pick up the children. From the Potters."

His eyes fluttered open at the word 'children.' Groaning, he sat up, digging the sleep from his eyes with his fingers. "Fuck," he groused. He couldn't remember the last time he'd fallen asleep like that, and was irritated that it felt more like a delayed blink than a nearly two hour kip. Standing up, he held a hand out to Hermione and helped pull her up to her feet, resisting the urge to collapse back onto the couch.

Still holding his hand, Hermione looked up at him, her free hand smoothing out a piece of his hair that had gone awry from the rest. "We'll get you to bed early," she lightly spoke, as if she was speaking to one of the children.

"Not that it'll matter," Draco replied. "Do you want to um, well, maybe pack a bag, stay the night? In your own room of course," he quickly amended. "I don't know how Astoria will be feeling in the morning and I could use help…since Anya's back at school."

Hermione shrugged. "I can if you want. I figured with Astoria getting worse moving in was going to come sooner than expected, anyway."

Draco nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed that he felt compelled to ask her to stay, knowing his unnaturally pale cheeks had to be betraying some of his stoicism with a twinge of blush. "Right then. I'll go fetch the children…and I'll see you at the house?"

She nodded, trying to look him in the eye but failing miserably. Quickly, she distracted herself by snatching the crumpled blanket from the couch to fold. "Of course. I'll be there in time for dinner."

"Alright," he said.

He waved goodbye before disapparating from her living room. The moment he was gone, Hermione dropped onto the couch, burying her face into the blanket to smother her scream.

* * *

><p>Astoria sat in the drawing room, sipping on a cup of tea drawn up for her by the house elves when Harby entered the room, wringing his hands in the tea cozy he wore.<p>

"Misses Malfoy has guests," Harby cautiously announced. "Guests who do not owl first like Master wishes."

Astoria placed her teacup on the table next to her and straightened the blanket draped over her lap. "Who is it, Harby?" The elf said nothing as she saw her parents and her sister walk into view as the clock in the hall chimed at a quarter 'til five. "Oh…well, it's alright, Harby," she said. "Draco will be home soon with the children, maybe you and Vexo can get started on dinner?"

Harby brightened at the thought. "Miss Clare was sad today, Harby could tell. Maybe Harby can convince Vexo to make Miss Claire some of her favorites to make Miss Claire happy again?"

Astoria gave the elf a small smile. "I'm sure she would appreciate the thought. And don't worry about bringing refreshments in here. Our guests won't be staying long, I'm sure. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Misses Malfoy," Harby replied, disappearing with a 'pop' as her family filed into the room.

Her parents sat down together on the sofa, her sister in the chair next to hers. Astoria clasped her hands together and placed them in her lap, watching as her parents eyed her appearance while her sister opened up a small compact mirror from her purse to touch up her nose with some powder. "My husband will be home any minute, and I'm sure he will not want to deal with you after a long day at work so please don't have the assumption that you will be here long enough to see him…Daphne."

Daphne closed her compact and looked at her sister, feigning ignorance. "Astoria, whatever are you talking about?"

"Draco told us this morning about your healer visit," her Helena blurted outright, interrupting whatever spat was brewing between her daughters. "Sweetheart, your illness…"

"If you're asking me if it's that serious, Mother, the answer is yes," Astoria said, her voice quiet but firm. "My magic is fading. I'm going to be gone sooner…sooner than expected."

Her father cleared his throat, sitting up straighter as he looked at his youngest daughter. "Draco mentioned that you had a plan, and we should ask you about said plan," Lloyd said, his voice plain as day. "While we are thrilled that you two did not proceed with that ridiculous divorce -"

"It wasn't ridiculous, Father," Astoria cut him off. "We were miserable together. We don't love each other the way we are supposed to love each other."

Helena laughed. "That's so silly, Astoria! There's only one way to love your husband."

Astoria shook her head. "No, Mother, there isn't. I love him because he loves my children - the children I should have been grateful for and loved the moment I laid eyes on them. And I wouldn't even call it love so much as I would call it admiration…and maybe adoration. He loves me because I'm the mother of his children. That's the extent of it."

"Astoria," her mother said with a sigh. "Your father and I -"

"And I," Daphne interjected.

"And your sister," Helena amended, "We spoke with Lucius today and with your blessing, we believe we can arrange it so that our families continue to be…connected."

"We would like to have Draco court your sister after your passing," Lloyd continued. "And after a respectable amount of time…eventually marry."

Astoria arched her hairless brow, looking at her parents, then over to her seemingly over satisfied sister and stifled a laugh of her own. "If you think my husband is going to marry Daphne, you've seriously - all of you - have gone completely mental. He won't do it. We don't live in a world where arranged marriages are necessary anymore. Draco has done what was asked of him, and when I am gone…he will be free. He can pursue what makes him happy." She turned to face her sister, smirking eerily like a Malfoy herself. "I promise you, Daphne, that you do not make my husband happy. Nor my children, for that matter."

"Lucius believes he can convince Draco -"

"Mother," Astoria curtly interjected. "Lucius is no longer in control of the Malfoy family. He cannot coerce, control - do anything to anyone anymore - Draco included. Draco is the head of the Malfoy family - it's how we got the divorce proceedings to begin in the first place. Lucius tries to pull anything and Draco will snap his wand before the Wizengamot gets a chance."

Huffing, clearly exasperated by her daughter's insolence, Helena rose to her feet and stared down at her daughter. "Well tell us then, Astoria. Tell us what your plans are for when the inevitable happens. Who will care for the children? Who will make sure they are brought up correctly? With the proper values and traditions?"

"Well, I'm not sure if we have the same values and traditions in mind, but Hermione Granger has done an alright job with my children so far, so she may as well complete the task," Astoria replied.

Daphne exploded out of her chair, standing in line with her mother with her mouth agape. "That's your great grand plan? To let the _mudblood_ raise your children! You must be ill - no sister of mine would agree to such a preposterous idea!"

Astoria took a sip of her tea, holding the cup and saucer in hand as she stared up at her mother and sister. "Do not speak of Hermione in that way in this house ever again. I may not be her biggest fan, but she loves my children like I should have always loved them. She is good for them. She is good for my husband. None of you were ever overly involved until I bore a son to carry on the Malfoy name, but she has been here since the beginning, much to my dismay at times. She is the reason my daughters are kind and loving. She is the reason why my son will grow up with the ability to handle being the 'heir' with a sense of dignity and compassion. That is if being an heir even means anything by the time he is of age. As for my husband…" Astoria trailed, trying to gain control of her voice as he began to waver ever so slightly. "My husband doesn't understand my choice, but when he does, it will have been worth it."

"What about us?" Lloyd asked gruffly. "You're willing to cut your family out of their lives once you're gone?"

"You can make the choice to be involved," Astoria said, wiping a stray tear from her eye with the back of her hand. "But Draco is their father, and you will have to abide by his wishes. You don't need Daphne to marry Draco to keep this absurd connection you desire to the Malfoy name. Anya, Claire, and Scorpius have done that for you."

Just as Helena went to speak again, a loud whoosh sounded from across the mansion, followed by the giggles of her two younger children as their footsteps echoed through the halls. "We should be going," Helena said. "Draco asked that we not be here when he arrived home."

"I'm sure that was just directed at Daphne," Astoria replied. "Mother, Father, if you wish to stay, I'm certain Draco wouldn't mind."

Lloyd shook his head. "It's probably best if we leave, considering the tension at the moment. We will call on you later in the week."

Her mother walked over and had the decency to kiss her cheek before disapparating away with her father, leaving Daphne standing in front of her, appearing to be offended by the news she just heard. "I cannot believe you would be so selfish," Daphne hissed.

"That's rich coming from the girl who has wished to steal my husband away from the moment you found out he was betrothed to me," Astoria replied with a laugh. "He doesn't love you. He never will. Do yourself a favor and find someone else to make you happy."

Daphne disapparated before Astoria could say another word, right as Draco and the children found her.

"Look Daddy! We found her!" Claire exclaimed, running to her mother.

"Gentle, Claire," Draco reminded as his daughter slowed down just in time, hugging her mother's lap. Astoria patted Claire's back. "Whom were you speaking with?"

"My parents and Daphne came to visit."

Draco fumed, bending down to pick up Scorpius as he reached for his father to hold him. "Just now? I told them to visit you hours ago!"

"They aren't known for their ability to listen," Astoria reminded. "How was work?"

"I didn't exactly work," Draco replied. "Claire, love, why don't you run along and wash up for dinner?"

Claire let go of her mother and nodded. Before she could walk away completely from her mother's grasp, Astoria grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "Come here," Astoria whispered, leaning towards her daughter. "I missed you today."

Grinning, Claire's bright grey eyes lit up as if it was Christmas morning. "You did?"

"I did," Astoria replied. "What did you do today?"

"Played with Lily and Albus," Claire replied. "What did you do today?"

"Oh…organized some things…wrote some letters…tied up some loose ends. Nothing fun like playing," Astoria confessed. "Mummy is very tired today, though, and will go to bed after dinner. Can Daddy read to you tonight?"

"Hermione could read to you," Draco offered. "She'll be over later."

Claire shrugged, leaning in to kiss her mum on the cheek. "Sure! I'm going to go wash my hands now."

Draco gave his daughter a pat on the head as she skipped by. Shifting Scorpius to his other side, he could see his wife staring at him with disapproval. "What."

"You look like hell, Draco. Did you fall asleep at work or something?"

"No - Hermione's. We left work early and went back to her place," he said. "I was going to come here, but I didn't want to be here if your parents and your sister were here, so we just went to her place. I fell asleep on her couch."

Astoria nodded. "You said she's coming over for dinner?"

"Uh…yes. And I may have…I may have asked her to stay the night. To help with the children in the morning," Draco clarified quickly. "I wasn't sure how you'd be feeling, and Anya's probably getting ready to eat in the Great Hall by now."

She wasn't sure how she felt, her husband asking Hermione to spend the night. Sure, Astoria asked Hermione to eventually move in, but on her terms, when she said. But with the news from the healer today, it was no time for pride to get in the way. Smiling, she nodded, removing the blanket from her lap as she carefully rose to her feet. "Sounds like a perfectly practical plan to me. Help me to the wash room so I might clean up for dinner?"

Walking over to her and offering his free arm, Scorpius gave his mum a cheesy grin and a 'hi,' which Astoria grinned at as Draco led them out of the drawing room. Leading Astoria to the washroom nearest to the dining room, Draco placed Scorpius in his gated play area in the living room, wincing at the noise coming from his music table. With exhaustion leading to a migraine, Draco somehow knew his son would go for the loudest toy of the lot.

On the seventh round of 'row-row-row-your boat,' Hermione apparated into the living room, overnight bag in hand. Scorpius squealed at the sight of her, chanting 'Me!' repeatedly until Hermione scooped him up from the ground, showering his face in kisses.

"I missed you button!" she cooed, hugging him tight. "Yes I did. I missed you all day!"

Scorpius returned the hug, puckering his tiny lips to give Hermione a kiss. He garbled a bunch of sounds, as if he was speaking with a rousing bit of conviction about his day as she carried him through the house. Claire came bouncing down the stairs, colliding into Hermione with a quick side hug before running into the dining room, where Draco was helping Astoria into her seat at the table. Plopping him into his high chair, Hermione gave his blond curls a ruffle as she caught Astoria's gaze.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked casually, as not to alarm Claire.

"Tired," Astoria voice clipped. "Which seems to be the theme of today, wouldn't you agree?"

Hermione absently scratched her neck and nodded, unsure of how to read the look on Astoria's face. "Yes…just a bit."

* * *

><p>Before Astoria turned in for the evening, barely a quarter past seven, she motioned for Draco to sit next to her on the sofa as their children laughed and played with each other with Hermione on the floor. Draco obliged, sitting down next to Astoria.<p>

"We should tell Claire…Scorpius is too little to understand, but if you're going to invite Hermione to spend the night then we need to talk to Claire."

Draco scowled. "Don't say 'invite' as if I'm having a tawdry affair," he hissed under his breath. "You invited her to live here when your condition worsened, we're all bloody exhausted, and I only asked her to do what _you_ already _asked_ her to _do_."

"Why are you using that voice, Daddy?"

Astoria and Draco looked at Claire, who was sitting halfway on Hermione's lap as Scorpius tried to crawl on top of his sister. "What voice?" Draco asked, pretending to play dumb.

"Your angry whisper voice."

"Daddy wasn't angry whispering."

Claire cocked her head to the side, narrowing her stare slightly. She tilted her neck back after a moment, looking at Hermione who dropped a fleeting kiss to her forehead. "I think Daddy was using his angry whisper voice," she whispered quite loudly.

Hermione laughed, lightly tickling her sides. "I'm not sure. I didn't hear him."

"He was," Claire stated.

Draco sighed, dragging a hand down his face as his shoulders dropped. "Claire, will you come sit on my lap for a minute? Mummy and I need to talk to you about something."

Claire hesitated. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, you aren't," Astoria replied.

Hermione pulled Scorpius away from Claire so she could escape, and plopped the little boy into her lap while Claire walked over to her father, laughing as Draco picked her up and kissed her cheek before placing her on his knees. Scorpius grabbed Hermoine's hands, making them clap as she kept an eye on Draco and Astoria. She could sense what was about to happen, and felt a pit begin to grow in her stomach.

Draco wrapped a finger around one of Claire's curls for a moment, eyeing Astoria as he waited for her to speak. It was, after all, her idea. Besides, he already, albeit inadvertently, told Anya. It was only fair, in his opinion, that Astoria tells Claire.

Astoria caught her husband's silent message and looked at her daughter, holding her hands together in her lap. "We had a lot of fun at Miss…we had a lot of fun at Grandma Jean and Grandpa Richard's house the other day, didn't we?"

Claire nodded her head quite enthusiastically. "The best day! We made snowmen…ate macaroni…and I gots to show them all of my new princess dresses!"

"You did," Astoria said with a nod. "They are quite fond of you and your siblings…and that makes you three very special." She swallowed the lump in her throat as she smiled for Claire. "And Hermione…well, she loves you, and Scorpius, and Anya _very much_."

Sensing her mother was getting upset, Claire tried to crawl out of Draco's lap, but he kept her in place, wrapping his arms around her middle. "Stay still," he whispered softly in her ear. "Listen to Mummy."

"Remember the other night," Astoria said with a sad smile. "When Daddy went to give Scorpius his bath and you and I were reading? Remember when you asked me about who would be your mummy when I was gone?"

Claire sniffled as she nodded.

"Well," Astoria said, trying to muster as much enthusiasm through her sorrow. "No one can replace me. I'll always be your Mummy and I'll always love you, no matter where I am. But when I can't be here…I've asked Hermione if she will be a mummy to you and your siblings. She would be a good mummy, right?"

Nodding again, Claire wiped her sniffles on her sleeve, much to her father's disgust. "Do I have to call her 'Mummy' too?"

"Goodness no!" Hermione exclaimed softly before either of her parents could interject. "Your mummy will _always, always_ be your mummy. I'm just going to be a helper. Daddies are brilliant and all…but sometimes boys and girls have problems that Daddies aren't very good at fixing…or doing"

Claire leaned back into Draco's embrace. "Like when Scorpius ruined my ballerina dolly's hair, and Daddy couldn't make it go back into the bun but you could?"

Hermione and Astoria both cracked a smile. "Exactly," Hermione said. "Mummies and Daddies know how to do different things…because they're good at different things. But you'll still call me Hermione, and I'll still call you Claire Bear. The only thing that'll be different is…"

"Is that Hermione will move into the mansion with us," Draco finished. "Not yet, but soon. She is, however, spending the night tonight."

"With Crookshanks!" Claire exclaimed.

"Oh bloody hell, I forgot about that blasted cat," Draco groused.

Hermione scowled. "Be nice to Crookshanks! He likes you!"

"Kitty!" Scorpius interjected, clapping Hermione's hands together. "Kitty here?"

"No, sweetheart, kitty is at my house," Hermione replied.

"No," he replied with a pout. "Kitty here."

"Can Crookshanks sleep with me in my room?" Claire asked Draco. "Can he?"

Draco looked at Astoria, who almost looked amused at Draco's displeasure of a cat roaming about the mansion. Claire had been asking for a cat since she was three and Draco always said no, but now, it seemed as if she was getting her wish. "I'm not sure Crookshanks will sleep in your room," Hermione said. "But we can make him a bed in there and see if he'll give it a go."

She shrugged, her blond curly ponytail bouncing as if that were an acceptable enough of an answer. Claire looked over at her mother, who was fiddling with her thumbs. "Mummy?"

"Yes, darling?"

Managing to wiggle out of Draco's grasp, she crawled over to Astoria and sat next to her, leaning her head on her chest. "I wish you didn't have to die."

Astoria hugged her daughter into her side and sighed, a tear escaping the corner of her eye. "I know, darling."

"Where will Hermione sleep?" Claire asked, wiping her stray tears with her hands.

"I'm sure we'll find a suitable room for Hermione," Draco replied.

"Cause…we could share a room, if you wanted," Claire offered to Hermione. "We can snuggle like we do at your house."

Hermione laughed, leaning back a bit as Scorpius was trying to stand up in her lap. "Well…we can still snuggle, even if I have my own room."

An incessant tap of a beak on the window near the fireplace caught everyone's attention. Draco stood up and walked over to the window, opening it as the owl flew inside with a letter attached to its leg. He handed the owl some treats from the jar on the fireplace mantle and removed the letter, watching as the spotted brown owl fluttered away before Scorpius could attempt to catch him.

"Ow, Daddy! Ow!"

"Yes, Scorpius, it's an owl with a letter from Anya," Draco replied, tearing the envelope open.

"YaYa! YaYa bye!"

"YaYa went bye-bye today," Hermione agreed. "She went back to school."

"What did Anya say?" Astoria asked, watching as her husband scanned through the letter.

"_Mum and Dad_," Draco recited. "I_'m back safe, and I'm just about to head down to dinner. Tell Hermione I rode with James the entire way to school…and that she was right. She'll know what I mean._ Wait - what does she mean, Granger?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Nothing. Finish the letter."

"What does she mean?"

"I'll tell you later."

Draco huffed, grousing a bit under his breath as he went back to the letter. "_Give Claire and Scorpius a big hug and a kiss, and tell Claire that I miss her, and I promise we'll do something fun when I'm home this weekend. Love you both, and Dad, please make sure Mum rests all week so we can go shopping for my spring fling dress. Love, Anya."_

Claire sighed wistfully as Astoria hugged her close. "I wonder what Anya's doing at Hogwarts right now. Probably something super fun."

"I'm sure she ate dinner and then went to work on her homework like a good girl," Draco said, handing the letter to his wife.

"I bet she has so many adventures," Claire continued. "I can't wait to get my own wand…go to Hogwarts…have my own adventures."

Draco picked Scorpius up off of Hermione's lap with a groan, exhaustion radiating through his muscles. "The only adventures you'll be having at Hogwarts is quidditch, the library, and class, young lady."

Claire waited until Draco was out of earshot, taking Scorpius up to get ready for bed. Looking up at her mother, she closed her eyes as Astoria pressed a kiss to her forehead. "She goes on adventures," she said in a hushed voice. "I just know it."

* * *

><p>"You've gone completely mental, you know that? Completely mental. We aren't even back one bloody night and we're already risking detention for the rest of our days at Hogwarts!" James huffed, trying his best to keep up with Anya as she quickly walked in front of him.<p>

Anya ignored his complaining, using the glow from the end of her wand to help her navigate through the Forbidden Forrest as James walked behind her. She zipped up her green sweater jacket a bit higher with her glove-clad hands, shivering slightly as she could see her breath in front of her face. They were looking for a clearing in the woods, but not just any clearing. It had to be a specific clearing. "Quit whining - if I wanted a whiner I would have dragged Craig Johansson from Hufflepuff out here."

"Craig Johansson? Since when do you hang out with Craig Johansson?" James asked, catching up to her, wishing he would have brought his gloves. Using his wand, he cast a quick warming spell around the two of them. It was a newer spell he'd learned, and he hadn't mastered it quite yet as it was the fifth one he'd casted since they left he castle.

"I don't," Anya replied, broken branches and dried up leaves crunching underneath their feet as they walked. "But I have it on good authority that he was caught by Moaning Myrtle doing less than savory things in the boy's lavatory while doing a bit of moaning of his own, if you know what I mean - which leads me to believe that it wouldn't take much convincing on my part if I were ever to need him to help me."

James stopped in his tracks and made a face. "Stop it - you must be joking."

"I swear to Merlin."

"That's disgusting."

She spun around, her two French braids whipping with equal force as she faced him. "What - the fact that Craig doesn't know how to wank in private or that he was doing it to the thought of yours truly?"

"No, of course not, I mean, no," James stammered. "I mean, what he was doing was disgusting, not you know, disgusting because he was, you know, thinking of you, wait - no, yes, I mean -"

"James Potter, are you _blushing_?"

"Uh…_no_."

"Oh you're definitely blushing," Anya teased, reaching for his arm as he wrenched it away.

"If you're just going to take the mickey out of me I'll more than happily leave you out here," James warned. "Considering I didn't want to search for the bloody thing to begin with."

Anya grabbed James hand successfully, wrenching his arm in her direction as she forced him to walk closer to her. "Don't go," she pleaded. "Please."

James sighed, scratching the back of his shaggy head of hair. He knew once she read the story of the three brothers over and over again after her nap on the train, and inquiring about the deathly hallows once more after dinner that it would lead to nothing good. "Look - I know why you want to find it but I don't think we can."

Anya shook her head, sniffling a bit. "We have to find it, James. We just have to. Your dad said once he left it out here so if we can just -"

"Anya," James said softly, squeezing her hand. "Say we find it. Say we find the resurrection stone out here…wherever Dad dropped it…then what. You know what the story says. _Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered._" He brushed a chunk of hair away from her face that had fallen loose from one of her braids, tucking it back behind her ear. "It won't save her, and it won't bring her back when she goes. At least not in the way you're wanting."

A single tear escaped from her eye as she quickly wiped it away with her glove-covered hand. "She was supposed to have six months. She might not even get that now and I just…it just isn't…I need -"

As a high pitched sob escaped her lips and James pulled her close and hugged her tight, not knowing what else to do as Anya buried her face in the crook of his neck and cried. It wasn't nearly close to the gut-wrenching sobs that wracked her body in his bedroom last week, but it was sobbing nevertheless. James saw Anya cry more in the past few days than he had in his entire lifetime of knowing her, which frightened him a bit. He was ready for the blunt, snarky, sarcastic version of his friend to return full time, not just in spurts. He couldn't stand seeing her this way.

"YaYa," he whispered in her ear, pulling her close. "Shh…it's alright." He rubbed his hands up and down her back as she cried, partly to soothe her and partly to warm up his unbearably cold hands. "YaYa come on…let's go back. It's late, and we have class tomorrow."

She shook her head, sniffling as she tried to catch her composure. "I - want - to - keep - looking."

"It's freezing out here, and we're going to have a hard time explaining to Madam Pomprey how it was that we both got sick," James tried to reason. Anya looked up at him, her arms still hugging around his midsection. "We'll have to make up some ridiculous story and you know we'll get caught because I'm a horrible liar…"

Anya laughed through her sobs as James used his fingers to swipe away her tears. "You are a horrible liar."

"The worst," James agreed. "Come on…let's go back."

She looked around the forest one more time, desperate to see any sign of any sort of clearing like Harry had talked about when he first told them the story of how he defeated Voldemort before she and James headed off to their first year at Hogwarts. A biting wind whipped through the forest and she shivered, as did James. Nodding, she removed her embrace from James but exchanged it for his hand, which he readily accepted. "Alright," she said, her voice thick with defeat. "We can go back."

It took them a good ten minutes to retreat out of the forest, hand in hand as James tried to distract her from her thoughts by talking about anything he could think of. As they emerged from the forest all together, they quietly snuck around Hagrid's hut and up the hill towards the castle. It was at least an hour past curfew, and as they made their way back into the castle, they thought for sure they were in the clear until a mangy meow echoed through the stone halls, and the glow of a lantern appeared behind them.

"Students…out of bed."


	12. Chapter 12

**Holy Crap! An update! I'm so sorry for the delay, but I was afraid this would happen. I had a job interview this past Monday, and I'm hoping I hear back from them this week. My work like has been so chaotic that it should be on a reality tv show because if I told you what I deal with on a regular basis - you'd swear I was making it up.**

**Anyway...I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'm sorry again for the lack of updating! **

* * *

><p>Astoria turned in for the evening before the children, exhausted once again by the day's events. Draco went with her, quietly making sure potions were taken and assisted her with her other nighttime rituals. As he tucked her into bed, propping her up a bit with some pillows, he felt her frail hand reach for his with a tight grip.<p>

"Make sure the children participate in cotillion," Astoria said suddenly. "All three of them. And make sure the girls have proper coming out parties. Just because the world doesn't differentiate by blood status doesn't mean they should be denied a proper entrance into society."

Draco nodded, sitting down on the edge of her bed as her hand clung to his. "You know Anya will fight this process."

"Tell her it's my dying wish. She'll eventually give in."

"Guilt. Interesting way to go about it."

"Draco…"

"Cotillion. Coming out parties for the girls," he promptly repeated. "I promise I will make it happen."

Astoria nodded. "And let Hermione plan the parties. Merlin knows you'd do an atrocious job at it."

"Of course," Draco replied with a half smirk. "Any other requests this evening, Tori?"

Astoria inhaled sharply, blinking her eyes to will the tears pooling away as she squeezed his hand. "You need it in writing that if something were to ever happen to you -"

"Tori -"

"If something were to ever happen to you," Astoria repeated, her voice teary. "That Hermione becomes their legal guardian. They cannot go to my parents…or my sister. I just…"

Nodding, Draco clapped his other hand around hers. "I'll make sure they're always taken care of, Tori. You know I will."

"I know," Astoria replied with a heavy sigh, her eyes exhausted as red tinged the creases of her eyelids. "Draco?"

"Yes?"

She stifled a yawn with her free hand as her back sank into the cushion of the pillows behind her. "Make sure you fall in love with someone who loves you back…the way you're supposed to be loved."

Draco laughed, leaning into kiss her cheek as her hand freed his. "I think I'm going to have enough on my plate…falling in love with someone isn't even remotely close to being on my radar."

"And don't close yourself off, either," Astoria stated, returning the chaste kiss on the cheek. "You deserve to be happy."

"Get some sleep," Draco whispered. "I'll see you in the morning." As Draco walked towards the door, he began to pull it shut before he heard his wife call out his name one more time, her voice light and sleepy. Peeking his head in a final time, he looked at his wife with a raised brow. "Yes?"

Astoria yawned once more. "You realize I'm talking about -"

"Go to sleep, Astoria," Draco said quietly, cutting his wife off mid thought. "I'll see you in the morning."

Shutting the door behind him, Draco dragged a hand over his face. He shook his head as he meandered down the halls. Sighing as he rounded a corner, he popped his head into his son's room, peering through the room lit with a dim nightlight to see that he was sucking away on his thumb as he slept. It was hard for him to believe sometimes at how big he was getting. He remembered like it was yesterday when he was born - how tiny his feet were, his little hands and how they kept a death grip on his finger when he cradled him close to his chest.

Leaning against the doorframe, he closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the moment his wife handed him his son, swaddled in blue as he perched himself at the side of her bed.

"_He looks just like you," he heard Astoria speak as he stared at the infant in front of him, committing the moment to memory as his eyes scanned over every inch of him. He looked a lot like Claire as a baby, as his youngest daughter carried more of his genetics than her mother's._

"_He has your nose," Draco said, as his eyes stayed fixated on his son. _

"_We finally have a son," Astoria whispered. "Everything will be better now. You'll see." _

Draco felt a shiver radiate through his body as he snapped back to the present. Quietly, he shut the bedroom door and preceded to make his way to Claire's room, where he could hear the quiet voices of his daughter and Hermione. Unseen, he peered into the room and saw Hermione propped up in the bed, raking her fingers through Claire's thick blond hair fanned across her stomach as Claire propped her neck up on Hermione's side, staring up at the night sky filled with stars Hermione bewitched above her bed.

Pulling away before he was seen, he pressed his back against the wall and slowly slid to the floor, his legs jutting out into the hallway as he eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Do you believe in Prince Charming, Hermione? Like in Cinderella?"

He could hear Hermione's soft laugh through her sigh. "Maybe…once upon a time."

"Does that mean you don't believe in Prince Charming anymore?" he heard his daughter asked, her voice sounding as if she was appalled at the notion.

"I'm not sure," Hermione replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.

Draco bent his legs, his forearms resting on his kneecaps as his hands loosely entwined his fingers with each other as he listened to their conversation. Hermione never missed a beat with the randomness of Claire's questions, and how any of the topics that came to her mind often had nothing to do with the other. Claire's incessant questions often drove Draco to the brink of insanity, but Hermione answered each thought as if it was the first question, despite it being question number 371. Her patience was something Draco envied at times, and he was sure there was no end to her well, even when he was sure he'd managed to siphon the last drop. Her forgiveness towards him when he took out his frustration and exhaustion on her was unwarranted, but she gave it to him anyway.

The notion that Hermione Granger was going to sleep in his house…mere feet from his bedroom at that, was starting to make him nervous. He could feel his anxiety begin to creep into his legs first, before tingling up to his arms as he began to pick at his fingernails. _It's just Granger_, he told himself. _It's not like she's sleeping with me. She's sleeping in her own room. To help with the children. She's just being a good friend. It's what she does. _He knew he was reading too much into this, considering it was him who asked her to stay, despite not even realizing what he'd asked until the words spilled from his lips.

He knew what his wife was trying to do, even though she denied it at the beginning and almost admitted it moments ago. Draco wasn't completely daft. He played it off at the Granger's house last weekend, but he knew what Jean and his wife were getting at. He knew what Richard was, or wasn't saying when he spoke to him about the type of man his daughter deserved. Draco had two girls after all - he was fluent in the language that fathers used when regarding daughters.

Listening to Claire prattle on about dislike for her school uniform she would be donning in less than forty-eight hours, Draco remembered back to the hour before his wife graced him with her presence at work to tell her she had cancer. He was uncharacteristically whistling, as his lawyer had his divorce paperwork sent over that morning, ready for signatures.

"_You're unusually cheery," Harry said, popping his head into Draco's office to pick up paperwork. "Whatever it is that you did to put yourself in this freakishly happy mood…better have been legal." _

_Draco laughed. Reaching into his desk drawer he pulled out the leather dossier and waved it at Harry. "As a matter of fact, it was entirely legal. By this time tomorrow, after a little bit of paperwork processing, I will officially be rid of my wife." _

_Harry stifled a snort, shaking his head as he sat down in the visitor's chair across from Draco's desk. "She isn't that bad, Draco." _

"_You don't live with her," Draco countered. "If she cared more about the children I honestly would have tried to give this more of a go. But she wants her freedom and I want my sanity. Believe me - it's a win-win for us both." _

"_What are you going to do about custody of the kids?" _

"_I'll have custody," Draco replied. "She'll continue to watch the little ones during the day, and I'll have them after work and every other weekend. Her flat is big enough to have all of the children there when Anya's home from school, and while I fully expect her to flake out on weekends, I don't mind. Unlike her, I enjoy our children." _

"_You really should cut the woman some slack, Draco," Harry said. "You grew up in the same sort of family…you know what it's like, having expectations and feeling as if you'll never meet them." _

_Sighing, Draco leaned back in his high backed leather chair and shrugged. "Maybe, but unlike her, I've done everything to make the best of the situation. She just wallows and weeps about what she doesn't have, and believe me, Potter, it isn't much. I'm still supporting her financially - she is after all the mother of my children," he said nonchalantly. "But since we've both decided to move forward with this divorce, it's been as if a weight has been lifted from both of our shoulders. We get along better. The children aren't subjected to as much fighting, either." _

_Nodding, Harry slouched a bit in the chair. "Well, I'm sure you're relieved to finally be moving forward. Maybe you can finally ask Hermione on a proper date."_

"_Excuse me?" _

"_Hermione Granger. The girl you allow to boss you around…well, woman, really," Harry supplied with a cheeky grin as Draco mouth went just a little bit dry. "Oh come off it, Malfoy. Don't act like the thought hasn't crossed your mind. Why else would you put up with her? Admit it. You fancy her." _

_Draco rolled his eyes in an overdramatic fashion. "That's rich coming from you. Why do you put up with her?" _

"_Because she's been my best friend since I was eleven. What in the bloody hell is your excuse?"_

* * *

><p>Hermione climbed out of Claire's bed and held her princess pink covers up as Claire squirmed to get underneath, propping and fluffing her pillows just so before she dropped the back of her head down with a plunk. Her little arms shot straight up in the air as Hermione pulled the covers up to her armpits. She pecked her lips with Claire's and smiled, smoothing a hand over the top of her head.<p>

"Sweet dreams, Claire Bear," Hermione whispered with a smile.

"Hermione?"

She chuckled lightly. "Yes, sweetheart."

"Can I ask just one more question?"

"Of course," Hermione replied.

Claire scrunched her little nose and lips, concentrating hard for a moment before she spoke. "Do you want to have your own babies? Cause I think you should…cause you'd be a good mummy."

Smiling, Hermione perched herself on the edge of Claire's bed and covered one of her small hands with her own. "I used to want my own babies, yes. A long time ago."

"With Mister Ron?"

She gave a simple nod. "Yes, with Mister Ron. But sometimes…things just don't work out the way we want them to. But even though we can be disappointed at times, we have to remember that everything happens for a reason, even if we don't understand it as it happens."

"Like with Mummy being sick?"

"Yes, sweetie, like with Mummy being sick."

Claire sighed, then yawned as her eyelids fluttered shut. "Do you miss Mister Ron?"

"I used to," Hermione honestly replied. "But not anymore, no. I get sad sometimes when I think about what happened, but I'm not sad that we aren't together anymore."

"Do you think I'll ever stop missing my mummy when she leaves?"

Hermione shook her head no, squeezing her hand gently. "Your daddy and I will never let you forget your mummy. Ever. Besides…even if you tried to forget her, you couldn't."

"Really?" Claire asked, her eyes opening a bit wider for a brief moment.

"That's right," Hermione reassured her. "Because she's a part of you. Always." She kissed her forehead and stood up from the bed, reaching over to turn off her glass slipper shaped lamp on her nightstand. She wasn't more than halfway towards the door when she heard Claire's voice again.

"Can I ask just _one_ more question?"

Hermione turned around and looked at the little girl, the light from the hallway allowing her to see enough of her face. "One more question, and then it is bedtime."

"If you get married again, can I be a bridesmaid?" she asked. "Because Sarah Johnson, in my class, she gots to be a bridesmaid in her aunt's wedding last fall and she got to wear a super fancy dress and matching shoes and everyone stared at her as she walked down the aisle and she gots to show everyone the pictures at show and tell. But she called herself a flower girl."

Hermione smiled. "That's because she has American parents. They call the little girls in weddings flower girls and the older girls bridesmaids."

"Oh," Claire replied. "Well, I don't really care what you call me, I just want to wear a fancy dress."

"Well, if I ever get married again, though I believe this to be highly improbable, I promise you can be a bridesmaid. Now go to sleep."

Shutting Claire's door carefully, she nearly woke up those sleeping in the house, stifling a scream as she all but jumped out of her skin upon seeing Draco sitting against the wall.

"Merlin you're jumpy," Draco said with a smirk.

She kicked his shin, tapped it really, with her sock clad foot and scowled. "If this is your new hobby, I suggest finding a new one. Immediately."

Draco rolled his eyes, standing up as he brushed his trousers off with his hands. "Calm down, Granger." He motioned for her to follow him down the hall towards his room, where her room was right across the hall. "I see you entertained each and every one of Claire's random collection of questions for the evening."

"You know," Hermione said, speaking frankly. "Some day you're going to wish she asked you a million questions when she gets to that teenage mode of asking parents nothing. I'd rather her ask questions and feel comfortable that we will answer them than to kill the urge to inquire all together."

"Of course," Draco replied, humoring Hermione as he opened the door to her room. "The house elves have already moved your things up here. Is the room suitable?"

Hermione peered into the room, a neutral colored bedroom with a large bed in the middle. She could see a private bathroom attached on the side, and what appeared to be very fluffy pillows stacked against the headboard. "Looks fine to me," she replied. "Are you ready for bed already? You look exhausted."

"I couldn't fall asleep this early if I tried," Draco replied with a half laugh, laced with a bit of exhaustion. "Are you ready for bed?"

She shrugged, crossing her arms against her chest. "Not exactly. I was going to read a bit."

"Oh really? What's the latest book you are committing to memory?"

"Well, if you must know, it's called _101 Practical Uses for Snakeweed_," Hermione replied.

"As opposed to 101 impractical uses?"

She gave him a good shove, her hand digging into the upper left of his chest as she made a face. "Do you always have to be a smart ass?"

"You love it."

'I really don't."

"You do. Just a little bit."

She shook her head slowly, her lips pursed together as Draco stared back with an all too satisfied smirk. "Whatever. If you plan on being insufferable this evening, I'm going to retreat to my room for the evening."

He could hear that her threat was a tease, though he played along anyway. That was another thing with Hermione, something he only did with her and never any other girl. She would roll her eyes, pout, make threats she would never carry out with him, and he would always play into it, as if it was their own little game of cat and mouse. Of course, there was never any real winner to their game before. Just some harmless bantering that sometimes teetered the line of flirting. Though over the past year, since his wife's diagnosis, the line between him and Hermione was becoming somewhat blurred. Like the day in her parents' guest room. It wasn't ever discussed, and he could have only imagined what his daughter thought when she interrupted them, but Draco never would have straddled her, feigning dominance in an intimate sort of way as they teased each other a year ago.

As he reached out, grabbing her wrist with his hand, Draco realized they touched each other a lot more this past year, mostly without giving it a second thought. Hermione never asked if she could relax him when he would seek refuge on her couch by massaging his neck or raking her fingers through his hair - she just did it. He never asked her if he could use her legs as a pillow - it was just something he did one day and not once did Draco feel awkward about it.

Hermione looked at his hand on her wrist and arched her eyebrows. "Excuse me," she said. "But what do you think you're doing?"

"Preventing you from retreating for the evening," he said with a smirk. "I was going to do some reading of my own - work related, of course. While it won't be as _riveting_ as your current choice of entertainment, I wouldn't mind the company." Draco loosened his grip, letting her wrist slide through his hands as his fingers brushed hers, nearly latching on for the briefest of moments. "Will you join me?"

She nodded quickly, chewing on the corner of her lip. "Just…let me slip into my pajamas. I'll be down in a minute."

"Alright," he replied. "I might just do the same. Slip into some pajamas, that is."

"Alright," Hermione said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other before disappearing into the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Hermione wasn't freaking out…or maybe she was and just refusing to acknowledge it. After all, she was just going downstairs to read a book. It's not like there was anything exciting about reading, except of course that it was one of her favorite pastimes as she felt the need to always broaden her knowledge base. But it was new territory. She never spent any sort of time alone with Draco in his home. It was always in hers, for obvious reasons of course, but either way, Hermione felt more comfortable when it was just the two of them in her apartment. It was her domain, her rules.<p>

She could see that the elves unpacked her belongings and placed them in the drawers, kicking her nerves into overdrive. _What was I thinking, telling Astoria I could move in here_, she thought to herself. _I'm flipping out over spending one night. I might go completely mental when this becomes permanent._ Hermione stripped herself of her work clothes and changed her undergarments, mentally applauding herself for remembering to bring one of her plain bandeau bras to wear underneath her pajama top so she didn't feel as exposed. Usually, when she anticipated a late night visit at her home, she made sure she was covered so that she didn't seem improper. She wasn't an idiot - she knew of the rumors - and Hermione never wanted to add fuel to the fire. This was why their lunch plans took place in Muggle London, and when they were together in areas heavily populated with wizards they stood next to each other, but not too close.

But her mind had been on overdrive since that afternoon, and she couldn't stop thinking about that flutter she felt earlier that day when Draco was asleep against her lap. Sighing, she stepped into her navy fleece bottoms printed with silver and white snowflakes and slid her arms into the gray ribbed tank top. Taking a look at herself in the mirror, Hermione reached for the ponytail from her wrist and fastened her long wild curls up in a messy bun. _Why are you putting so much effort into this - for Merlin's sake why are you trying to impress him, _she chastised herself, frowning at her reflection in the mirror. Her conscious had a point, though. Why was she worrying? He'd seen her in pajamas before. He'd seen her in ratty sweats and t-shirts worn well beyond their life span in the early days following her divorce, when he would come and visit her, often bringing something to eat as she was too embarrassed to be seen in public as the entire wizarding world seemed to froth at the mouth regarding the latest gossip in reference to the demise of her marriage.

_Pull it together_, she scolded herself once more. Reaching for her book on the dresser, she steeled her nerves, straightened her shoulders, and walked out of the room. Clutching the book to her chest, Hermione marched quietly down the hall and tiptoed down the stairs. She found Draco in the sitting room, a stack of paperwork on the coffee table in front of him next to his propped up feet. He was chewing on the end of a pen, which made Hermione smile.

"_Just try them," Hermione insisted. "Honestly - it's less of a mess than using a quill, especially if you have the kids around." _

_Draco took the odd, long piece of plastic from Hermione's hand and inspected it. At her urging, he put the tip to a piece of parchment and wrote with it as he would with a quill. "Are you sure this isn't magic?" he asked as he repeatedly wrote his name. _

_Hermione laughed. "A muggle invention, I promise. No magic involved." _

"_But what happens when it runs out of ink?" _

"_Then you throw it away and get a new one," Hermione replied. "Or you can purchase refillable cartridges and replace them. Pens aren't all that expensive, and they last quite a long time. I suppose you could charm them, however, to never run out of ink." _

_Draco went back to writing his name on the parchment in slight awe at the muggle invention in his hand. "This is brilliant, Granger. Just brilliant." _

Draco could feel her presence as she entered the room. "Took you long enough," he goaded. "I nearly aged a year."

Hermione rolled her eyes, walking around the large leather. She wasn't quite sure where to sit, so she sat on the opposite end and quickly opened up her book. "I hardly took that long. Maybe you just changed too quickly."

He was wearing a thin white t-shirt he wore under his work clothes today and a pair of pale green pajama pants with blue stripes. Draco didn't change too quickly - he just didn't have much to change. Glancing over at her, he scowled as he placed a reviewed piece of parchment on the stack next to his feet. "Do I smell?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do I smell?" he repeated. "Why are you sitting all the way over there?"

Hermione nonchalantly shrugged. "I don't know…it's just where I sat down."

Draco furrowed his brow. "Well, I'm not exactly covered in spattergroit. You can sit closer."

She huffed, holding her place in her book with her finger as she snapped it shut. "Honestly, Draco, does it really matter where I sit?"

"Yes," Draco argued. "You haven't sat that far away from me in years and I…I…I don't like it at all!"

Haughtily, Hermione stood up from the couch and moved closer to Draco, about a hand's with away from him, and propped the arches of her feet against the edge of the coffee table. "Better?" she asked, looking at him with a pointed stare.

Draco smirked. "Yes. Thank you."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she went back to her reading, her body hunched forward as she propped her book up on the tops of her thighs. Draco went back to scanning through reports written by probationary, in training aurors, circling mistakes and catching gaps in information to return back to them so that they can improve the next report they write. The two of them were silent as they went about their individual activities, though Draco couldn't help but notice the tense way Hermione held her shoulders, and how her left leg had a slightly nervous and noticeable bounce as she turned the page. Leafing through another report, Draco couldn't concentrate on what was in front of him. She was always the one passing out a calming touch. He had never initiated such an act with her.

He and Astoria were never touchy people with each other. Early in their courtship, they held hands and kissed because it was what they were supposed to do. When he had the urge to reach out and touch her, or comfort her, he was always scolded, his hand barely a breath away from his wife when she would wrench herself away from him. Early in their marriage, sex quickly became a chore as their parents consistently nagged them to produce an heir. There was nothing fun about it, as Astoria became enthralled with every piece of information - passed either to her by hearsay or written in a book - about the ways in which the way that you had sex could determine the gender of the child. Draco of course found this to be a load of hogwash, though there was no sense in gloating when the day came and the son Astoria was so convinced she was having was instead a daughter.

When he dated Pansy in school, his favorite thing about her - her only redeemable quality, really - was how compassionate she was with him. Regardless of her motives behind her actions, there were days where Draco felt like his world was going to suffocate him, and she was always there to comfort him. He remembered the train rides to and from Hogwarts in his later years, how he'd lay his head in her lap and fall asleep to her touch. He didn't even care that in return she'd expect a romp in a deserted classroom somewhere in the dungeon. At that moment in time, it was the least he could do in return, as he felt no shame in seeking comfort any way he could get it.

The more Draco watched Hermione, however, the more he realized that he wanted to touch her. He wanted to see if he had the same effect on her, to see if he could calm her with just a touch as she often did to him. Without looking directly at her, he reached his left hand towards her back and, not before briefly hesitating for a moment, cautiously touched the middle of her back.

Hermione's jittery leg stopped the moment she felt his hand. "What are you doing?"

"You uh…looked tense," Draco said, his hand still on her back.

"Oh," she said quickly.

"You've also been staring at that same page for the past ten minutes."

"Have I?" Hermione asked, her voice up an octave. "I guess I um, must have lost my train of thought for a moment."

He could feel the tension radiation through her back into his hand. "You know, Granger, usually when you do this sort of thing for me I relax…yet you are as stiff as a board."

A nervous giggle escaped her lips. "Yes, well, I've never been one to relax. I'm not really good at it, you see."

"So I'm gathering," Draco replied with a light chuckle. He rubbed his hand in a small, slow circle on her back and saw no change in her demeanor. "Seriously Granger. Relax."

"Seriously, Draco," she mimicked. "I'm rubbish at it."

"What has you on edge?" he asked, dropping his pen on his stack of paperwork. "Are you uncomfortable being here? Staying here? We don't have to do this," Draco began to ramble. "I told you last week that -"

Hermione reached a hand over to his knee, stopping him mid rant. "I'm not uncomfortable," she said, speaking slowly. "I'm just…out of my element a bit." She retracted his hand and closed her book, setting it down on the coffee table. Leaning back, she forced Draco to remove his hand from her back as she brought her knees to her chest, hugging her arms around her legs. "You're usually the one at my house in your pajamas, not vice versa."

"We can put our regular clothes back on if it'll make you feel better," Draco half teased.

She looked over at Draco, resting her head against the back of the couch. "I'll be fine," she replied. "I'm just getting used to all of this."

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he quietly apologized.

"You don't make me uncomfortable," she quickly retorted.

Draco sighed, nodding slightly. "I just…you just always know what to do when I'm wired. I was just trying to return the favor."

"It's alright," she replied with a small smile. "I appreciate the sentiment. I just…I'm not used to being on the receiving end - being comforted, that is. Ronald…he was rubbish at it. A few awkward pats on the back when I was upset or tense was the extent of his ability to comfort. Comforting others wasn't a strong suit of his. At least with me, anyway."

He couldn't help but scowl, grabbing the stack of papers in his lap and chucking them onto the table in front of him, leaving them in a haphazard stack. "Name three things about the Weasel that were 'strong suits' of his because I can't imagine him having any."

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "Fine. But only if you name three things that are 'strong suits' of Astoria's."

"Easy," Draco smirked. "Anya, Claire, and Scorpius."

"You can't possibly name the children as her strong suits," Hermione gasped. "You have to name something personal about _her_."

"She's good at bearing children - and it just so happens she's done it three times," Draco snarked. "Now tell me three things about the Weasel."

"Well," she said, shaking her head at him before plopping it back against the couch, hugging her legs a bit closer to her chest. "He knew how to make me laugh…his humor often got him out of trouble for a good portion of our marriage. He has a brilliant strategic mind when he wants to use it, like when he plays chess and…" her voice trailed off for a bit as she looked away, releasing a heavy sigh. "When he wasn't trying, or thinking too hard about it…when he would say 'I love you'…I liked how it made me feel. Like I was special."

Draco noticed how she avoided looking at him, as if what she had just said made her almost feel ashamed. He reached out and placed a comforting hand on the back of her neck, rubbing it lightly. "Hey," he whispered, watching as she reached a thumb up to her eyes, brushing away a tear. "Granger…this wasn't supposed to make you upset."

A laugh escaped her lips as she sniffled. "I know," she replied.

"I honestly didn't think you could think of three things," he teased, pulling her closer as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I was expecting this to be funny."

Hermione laughed again, removing more tears from her cheeks with a quick swipe of her hands. "I'm the brightest witch of our age, Draco. Of course I could come up with three things."

"Of course," Draco repeated, hugging her close for a moment. "And just so you know - you're special. I think you're special."

He was nervous when she didn't respond, but silently cheered when Hermione didn't move but instead, shifted so that she was resting her head on his chest right below his shoulder, her bent legs resting against his thigh. Retrieving his wand from his pocket, he levitated his stack of paperwork and his pen back to his lap and resumed his work. He heard her yawn, shifting closer as she exhaled. He propped up papers reviewed against his abdomen as Hermione watched him make notes.

"Why haven't you shifted to the auror training department?" she asked.

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. Why do you ask?"

"It's less of a time commitment, for starters. Training happens in the fall and the spring, which would essentially give you the entire summer off to be with the children, you obviously have an eye for rookie mistakes in reports, and you have inside knowledge of the dark arts," she prattled. "You would be brilliant at it."

"Maybe," Draco replied, scribbling more notes in the side margins.

"I think you should strongly consider it, Draco," Hermione urged, tilting her head upward as he looked down at her.

He gave her a simple nod, pulling a stray curl away from her face with the end of his pen. "It's not a bad idea, Granger. Summers off with the children do sound a bit appealing."

The two of them settled back into a comfortable silence as Draco filed through the remainder of his paperwork.

* * *

><p>"We are dead."<p>

"Shut up James."

"So dead. So…so dead."

"Shut _up, _James," Anya repeated, sitting in the Headmistress' office as James paced in a circle. "You know nothing is going to happen to us. Between who your dad is and my mom dying, no one is punishing us. We'll get reprimanded, lose points from both of our houses, and be done with it."

James spun on his heel and turned around to face her. "Just because McGonagall might not do anything to us doesn't mean my _mother_ won't be sending me a howler when she hears about this! I'm not afraid of McGonagall - I'm afraid of my bloody parents! _Your_ parents might be preoccupied with other things but _mine_ aren't."

Anya dramatically rolled her eyes. "You worry too much."

"And you don't worry enough!" James exclaimed. "Honestly!"

"There _are_ people trying to _sleep, _if you don't mind," a monotone voice rang out through the office. James and Anya both searched for where the voice was coming from.

"Now, now, Severus, it isn't that late in the evening," an older, gentler voice responded.

Anya and James began to scan their eyes around the various portraits in the room. A talking portrait was the only logical reason for the voices. It didn't take them long to find the lone two portraits awake, side by side. One was of a man wearing all black, with his black, shoulder length hair fanned out slightly at the edges. The other was an elderly man, wearing a silver robe embellished with gold, with a matching cap on his head. He had a long white beard, and an impish twinkle in his eyes - a stark contrast to the sneer on the other man's face.

"Bloody hell!" James exclaimed. "You're my brother's namesakes. I mean, I've seen pictures, but…this is totally wicked!"

"Severus Snape," Anya repeated. "My dad's told me all about you."

The former, albeit brief Headmaster peered down at Anya, his lips pursed together tightly. "And your father is…"

"Draco Malfoy," Anya repeated. "Though I guess you can't gather that by looking at me…I look like my mother. Astoria Greengrass."

Professor Snape nodded, a small smirk pulling at the edges of his lips. "A Malfoy produced a daughter…my, my, how _in_teresting."

"He has two," Anya added. "I have a little sister, Claire. And a brother, Scorpius."

Professor Dumbledore chortled a bit at the thought of Draco Malfoy with two daughters. "And you, Mister Potter, a spitting image of your own namesake, I see."

"Yes," Professor Snape drawled. "You do bear a striking resemblance to James. Pity."

"Severus," Professor Dumbledore replied. "You should know it is imprudent to speak ill of the dead."

"Of course, Albus," Professor Snape replied.

James looked over at Anya and yanked his head in Professor Snape's direction. "What did I do to him?" he hissed.

Anya shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's because you're a Gryffindor," she whispered back.

"What brings you two to the office so late in the evening, past curfew no less," Professor Dumbledore gently implored.

"A very good question indeed," Headmistress McGonagall said, announcing her entrance into the office with a stern look on her face. "Wandering about the castle grounds past curfew is unacceptable behavior and certainly grounds for dismissal. What on earth could the unlikely pair that is you two have been doing wandering about this late at night."

Anya looked over at James, who was looking over at her, as if to say that it was her crazy idea that landed them here, therefore she needed to start talking. "Well…uh, you see Professor, we were, I just thought that we could -"

"She was upset," James abruptly interjected. "You know, about her mum and all…no one really knows about it, so she didn't want to be with her housemates and I already know because our dad's work together and Aunt Hermione sometimes helps Mister Malfoy out so -"

"So I thought we could just get out of the castle for a bit," Anya stated, picking up where he left off. We didn't realize the time when we came back and that's when Filch found us, skulking about the shadows like a bloody creeper -"

The Headmistress held up her hand, silencing the girl as her stern face softened ever so slightly. "Miss Malfoy, as much as my heart aches for your situation, it does not give you permission to disregard the school rules."

Anya nodded. "Yes, Professor."

"As for you, Mister Potter," Professor McGonagall said, looking him in the eye. "You are a good friend. I would expect nothing less, given who your parents are, and how you were raised. However, as Miss Malfoy here is under stress with her unfortunate situation, it up to you as a friend to exercise a little bit of common sense."

James nodded quickly. "Of course, Professor. It won't happen again."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "See that it doesn't."

"Um, Professor?" James asked, grimacing a bit. "You um, you aren't going to tell our parents, are you?"

She stifled a grin and shook her head. "Not today, Mister Potter."

Exhaling a huge sigh of relief, James clapped a hand over his chest while Anya could hardly contain another eye roll. "You know, Miss Malfoy," Professor Dumbledore's voice called out to the two of them, catching Professor McGonagall's attention in the process. "During my days as a student, I often found myself seeking quite a bit of refuge up on the seventh floor."

"The seventh floor?" Anya inquired. "What on earth is up on the seventh floor?"

Professor Dumbledore glanced at the young girl, peering over his glasses. "One would be amazed at what they can find on the seventh floor when they aren't looking. Sometimes, what they are looking for finds them instead."

Anya couldn't help but scowl. "Hermione wasn't kidding when she said you liked riddles. Don't you think you'd save a fair bit of time if you'd just get to the point?"

"Anya!" James hissed. "You cannot speak to Professor Dumbledore like that!"

"I'm not speaking to him personally, I'm speaking to a bloody portrait!" Anya shot back.

"For the love of Merlin," James groaned. Looking back up at Professor Dumbledore, he reached for Anya's reluctant hand. "She's sorry," he said. "Really. She's just out of sorts at the moment. We should probably be getting back to our respective houses anyway."

"Indeed," Professor McGonagall added. "I will wave detention just this once, but I will be taking fifty points away from your houses. Please see that we do not find ourselves having this conversation again."

"Yes, Professor," the duo chimed.

"Now - off to your dormitories. _Immediately_."

* * *

><p>Paperwork completed, Draco and Hermione were still on the couch, watching an old movie on the telly that they found while surfing through the channels. Neither of them were really paying attention, the movie merely background noise as the two found themselves in a different, yet comfortable position. Draco summoned a blanket from a chair with his wand and draped it over Hermione as she rested her head in the middle of his chest. He was slouched against the couch, his back resting in the crook of the corner as he left an arm draped around her.<p>

Sighing, Draco looked down at Hermione and her knotted hairdo. "What?" she asked, glancing up at him.

"Nothing," he replied.

"No one sighs like that for nothing."

"It was a good sigh. Promise."

She eyed him for a moment. "Are you uncomfortable? Because I can move -"

He braced the arm he had around her a bit tighter. "Don't. I'm more than comfortable. And you actually seem relaxed. Who knew it was even possible?"

Hermione lightly swatted his stomach in response, feigning a scowl as she turned her attention back to the movie. She kept telling herself repeatedly in her head that there was nothing different about what she was doing right now in comparison to how Draco would use her lap as a pillow during their late night visits. They were still just friends…best friends…close friends…and their actions continued to be harmless. He was also right in the sense that she felt relaxed, and hadn't felt this way in quite some time. She found herself relaxed when Draco was at her place, despite the fact that she was the one doing most of the comforting, but this feeling was a different sort of relaxation. In this moment, she didn't just feel relaxed, she felt content, happy, and safe - just as she did with Ron during the early days after the war, when their relationship was simple and without expectations.

Only with Draco, there were expectations. Astoria had expectations that the two of them could co-parent the children so that they would have a mother. The two of them had individual expectations. Hermione expected herself to be able to handle what would come next after Astoria's passing, to be able to work together with Draco peacefully and to raise the children to be the best they could be. Draco already made it clear that he did not want another wife while in the same breath confessing that he needed her for the sake of the children.

Draco was half asleep when he felt her tense up against the hand lightly braced around her arm. "Stop thinking," he mumbled.

"Huh?"

"You're thinking, and I can tell you're getting wound up. So stop," he replied before releasing a yawn. "That or tell me what you're thinking."

She shook her head, not looking up at him. "It's nothing. Really."

"Granger," he droned. "What is it?"

Shrugging, Hermione inhaled slowly and exhaled, her fingers playing with the thin fabric of Draco's shirt. "I'm just worrying I guess…about everything that's going to happen once Astoria passes. With the children…with…us."

"Us?" Draco inquired. "In what context?"

"I don't…I don't know," Hermione whispered.

Draco couldn't quell the nervousness that was slowly permeating through his body. "Granger…"

"This past week has been one of the longest weeks of my life," she said, speaking softly. "It's felt longer than a week. I'm emotionally exhausted, your emotionally exhausted…and I just feel so confused."

His heart was thumping to the point that Draco was sure Hermione could feel it against her ear. "I know what you mean," he murmured. "But if you're having second thoughts, please just…I'm not going to force you to do anything."

"I never said I thought you would," she replied, mustering the courage to look up at him. "I'm…I'm afraid everything is going to change between us."

Draco felt the same way, but wasn't brave enough to say it out loud. Rubbing a hand up and down her arm, he tilted his head to the side and sighed. "Everything is going to change between us, Granger. If we're going to do this, if we're going to raise the children together, we're going to have to always be on the same page. If we aren't on the same page we're going to have to be able to back the other up or else the children will divide and conquer us before we see it happening."

Hermione bit her lip. "I would never make any decision about the children without your permission. I'm not their mother."

"But you will be," was Draco's whispered reply as he resisted the urge to tuck a thin, stray curl back behind her ear. "You will be their mother, and a brilliant one at that."

"Draco…"

"Just trust me," he begged with a whisper. "Please, Hermione."

Her eyes darted open a bit wider as she bit down on her lip a little bit harder. "Say it again," she asked.

"Just trust me -"

"No," she said, shaking her head no. "Say the part…where you say my name."

Realizing he'd called her by her first name, which he was almost certain had never been done before, he couldn't help the smirk that tugged at the corners of his lips. "Hermione," he whispered again. "Trust me."

Resting her head against his chest once more, Hermione couldn't help but smirk as she hugged her arms around his torso. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she exhaled a sigh of relief. "Alright, Draco. I trust you."


	13. Chapter 13

_**It's short...it came to me at about 330 today...and it was like ripping off a painful band-aid.**_

* * *

><p>Wide awake at a quarter 'til four, Astoria sat up in her bed with an odd burst of energy. Climbing out of bed, she walked over to her closet and pulled out three green boxes, each of them with an initial embossed in silver on the front. Carefully, as they were a bit heavy for her considering her loss in muscle mass, she brought them over and set them on top of her dresser. She peered inside each box, reviewing the envelopes and making sure they were all appropriately labeled and enchanted so that they wouldn't open until the proper moment by the appropriate person. Opening the top drawer, she moved around her undergarments and pulled out two envelopes and set them on top of the boxes.<p>

"Harby!" she quietly called out.

In an instant, the dutiful house elf popped into her room. "Harby is here, ma'am. Harby will do whatever Misses Malfoy needs as Mister Malfoy instructed him to do."

Astoria nodded, pointing to the boxes and the envelopes on her dresser. "I need you to place these items in a safe place, and when the time is right, distribute them. Can you do that for me?"

Harby nodded quickly. "Of course, Misses Malfoy. Harby can most certainly honor Misses Malfoy's request. But Harby isn't sure if he will know when the time is right."

"You will know," Astoria reassured the worrying elf. "I trust you."

"Misses Malfoy trusts Harby," the elf gasped in awe. "Harby will not let Misses Malfoy down!"

"I know you won't," she replied. "And…I just want to tell you that while I never showed it, I greatly appreciated your help during these past years. You cared for my children, and you were always here to help, even when I wasn't always so polite."

Harby abruptly shook his head no. "Harby never thinks ill of Misses Malfoy. Harby and the elves always think the best of our masters."

"Because you're good elves," Astoria replied with a soft smile. "You're a good elf, Harby. A very good elf. You are dismissed."

Even in the dim light, the pink tinge of blush was visible on the Harby's grey cheeks before he took the boxes and the envelopes and disapparated out of the room with a faint pop.

* * *

><p>Downstairs on the couch, Draco and Hermione slept in the dark, the glow of the telly incessantly flashing and dimming. Draco's legs were stretched out on top of the coffee table as his head was propped up against the back of the couch. Hermione was still curled up against him, sleeping with her head tucked in the space where Draco's arm connected to his torso, an arm draped across him as one of his arms stayed firmly braced around her back.<p>

At the sound of faint footsteps from upstairs, Hermione stirred.

"What's wrong?" Draco mumbled. As soon as he realized he was sleeping comfortably with Hermione, he panicked that she would want to get up and go upstairs to their respective rooms. He held his breath momentarily and waited for her to state the obvious.

"We fell asleep downstairs."

_Stay casual._ "Mmhmm."

"I think I heard something. Upstairs."

He tightened his arm around her slightly in an attempt to distract her. "Elves," he said. "It's nothing. Go back to sleep, Granger."

Her eyes heavy, she felt awkward as she placed her head back down on the warm spot she created on his chest. Draco, with a small smile on his lips, released a sigh of relief as he felt her cuddle closer to him.

* * *

><p>Astoria felt tired once again, but not enough to sleep. An instinct to check on her children summoned her legs to walk her towards the door, creeping down the dimly lit hallway towards Scorpius' room. As she quietly opened his door and walked in, she smiled as she saw him flopped over on his back, his mouth slightly ajar as his thumb rested against his lower lip. His curls always seemed at their wildest when asleep. Astoria smiled as she remembered back to his first birthday, shortly before she found out about her cancer.<p>

"_You have got to cut Scorpius' hair," Draco practically demanded, handing his son over to his wife with a scowl on his face._

_Astoria straightened out the legs of her son's jumper as a photographer stood in the room, taking portraits of the girls. "I will do no such thing," she said, using her wand to tame the back of his hair just a touch. She walked over and handed Scorpius to Anya, who held him dutifully as the photographer waited for her to situate her children just so before shooting again. "I think they're darling." _

"_He looks like a girl," Draco said. "He looks exactly like Claire." _

"_He doesn't look exactly like Claire," Astoria all but groaned. "Could you be any more over dramatic?" _

"_He does," Draco pointedly argued, and it's entirely due to these ridiculous curls." _

"_You don't like my curls?" _

_Draco and Astoria's attention turned to Claire, who's lower lip was threatening to jut out just a bit as she picked up the latter part of that conversation. His face softening a bit, Draco flashed a smile at his daughter. "I love your curls, sweetheart. They're beautiful…on you. But your brother is a different story." _

_Claire skeptically eyed her father. "Are you sure?" _

"_Positive," Draco replied. _

"_Mrs. Malfoy," the photographer interrupted, somewhat timidly. "I uh, I'm ready to um, add you and Mister Malfoy to the photo." _

_Astoria smiled curtly and shook her head. "There's no need for that this year. We're only doing portraits of the children." _

A heavy sigh escaped Scorpius' lips as his mother lightly brushed her hand over his hair as he slept in crib. "My sweet boy," she whispered. "I waited so long for you…"

"_You know, Astoria, it wouldn't kill you to pay attention and dote on your other children," Draco snapped as he watched his wife pull item after item out of her shopping bags as six-month-old Scorpius sat in the middle of the bed they rarely shared, gnawing on a teething ring. "You should have seen Claire's face when she realized you went shopping without her. She was completely devastated!" _

_Rolling her eyes, Astoria popped the tags off of the garments she purchased for Scorpius and laid them in a pile to be properly washed by the house elves before he could wear them. "For Merlin's sake, Draco, it was one shopping trip. She doesn't need to be with me everywhere I go." _

_She jumped as his hand slammed into the top of the dresser. "Goddamn it, Tori - of course she wants to be where you are - you're her fucking mother!" _

_Scorpius let out a startled cry, his eyes squinting shut as his cheeks turned red. Astoria immediately scooped him up off of the bed and cuddled him close. "There, there," she cooed. "It's alright. Mummy has you. Daddy didn't mean to lose his temper for no reason -"_

"_Oh I have plenty of reason," Draco sneered. "I told you that I would agree to try for a son as long as you decided to stop ignoring your daughters and you aren't holding up your end of the bargain." _

_Astoria let out a laugh. "So what, because I don't pay the girls as much attention as I do the baby - the one who isn't self sufficient - you want to what, throw him out?" _

"_Of course I don't!" he snapped. "But you have two daughters who would kill for a quarter of the attention you give our son, so would you please be a mother to them? I shouldn't have to beg you!" _

Quickly, Astoria wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall. With a kiss to the tips of her fingers, she pressed the fingers gently to his cheek before walking away. Down the hall slept Claire, engulfed in a world Astoria wished for every day as a little girl with the pink walls and plastic jewelry scattered about the dresser and her nightstand. Plastic high heels in obnoxious pink and purple colors were piled in corner basket nets to a rack of princess dresses and a truck full of tiaras and feather boas. Pictures she drew herself with markers, crayons, and paint were haphazardly taped to the walls. Her imagination was endless, and neither herself nor Draco knew where it came from as they both far from imaginative as children. She assumed it was Hermione's influence, or Hermione's parents as they indulged her daughter with Claire's every whim.

Astoria had to stifle the chuckle as she looked at her daughter, sleeping with a satin eye mask over her eyes. Pretend Claire 'slept' with her head on the pillow next to Claire, also donning a doll-sized eye mask. She could only imagine the headaches in store for Draco during Claire's teenage years. Anya might have him on his last nerve with her outbursts and general 'I don't care' attitude, but Claire was going to be the daughter that made him lose his hair. She was going to be the daughter that caused fathers to chase away boys with threats of death and dismemberment, the daughter who gets out trouble with a flutter of her long eyelashes and a sweet _I'm sorry, Daddy_.

Carefully, Astoria leaned over and brushed her dry lips against Claire's soft cheek. "Mummy loves you," she whispered.

* * *

><p>Hermione woke up once more as fast as she fell asleep, hearing movement upstairs. "Are you sure it's elves?"<p>

"Yes," Draco mumbled. "They shuffle about at night."

She felt guilty for enjoying the feel of him against her. The last man she slept next to was Harry, the night Ron told her about Lavender and the baby. Hermione disapparated to his house after her jaunt at the bar, and once Harry talked his wife out of not killing her brother, showed her to the guest room. It was her sobs that woke him up that night, and the way he loved her like his own sister that let him crawl into bed with her, promising it would be ok as her tears soaked his shirt.

"_I'm so sorry," Harry whispered with each caress of her back. _

"_I…wanted…a baby…he…said…no," she choked through her sobs._

"_I punched him. Today when he told me." _

_Hermione nodded. "Draco…said you…hit him." _

"_Draco?" Harry asked with a laugh. "Is that who got you drunk tonight." _

"_He hates…his wife. I hate…my husband. We…hate…everything." _

* * *

><p>Even though Anya was gone away to school, it didn't stop Astoria from walking into her room, where she found herself sitting on the perfectly made bed. Her eldest always had a meticulously kept room, though that might have been due to Astoria traumatizing her as a child, scolding her mercilessly when it was untidy. Everything had a place in Anya's room, from the muggle pens and pencils in a round holder on her desk to her books stacked on her nightstand, the smallest ones on top as they cascaded down. Her pointe ballet slippers were tied together, hanging on the closet doorknob by their pink satin ribbons. Anya was a gifted ballerina. If she had been a muggle girl, she would have been a student at the London Ballet Academy, home schooled for a few hours a day and dancing through the rest.<p>

Astoria reached for the picture on her nightstand and stared at the moving image. It was from earlier in December. The Potters, along with her husband and Hermione, took the children minus Scorpius ice-skating in the park. How the adults got the children to stand there long enough to take a picture was impressive. Teddy held Lily up on his hip as the two of them along with Albus and Claire waived and smiled at the camera. James and Anya smiled and waived too, until James tugged a lock of Anya's hair that provoked a glare and a smack upside his head. It was hard not to laugh as the photo played the ten-second loop, Anya smiling one moment and scowling the next while James went from smiling to chuckling with a beaming grin.

Astoria hoped as of late that she hadn't damaged her daughter when it came to love, and being loved. She found herself praying to Merlin that she received enough of it from her father that it wouldn't prevent her from letting someone love her as she grew older. Her regrets with Anya were deep, from scolding her when she'd find her look-a-like wearing her expensive makeup like a circus clown or punishing her by standing in the corner when Draco was at work for ruining a pair of overpriced high heels, despite them being repairable with the flick of a wand.

No one deserved a do-over in terms of a mother more than her eldest, and while Astoria had no excuses, she hoped someday her daughter, with Hermione's help and sense of compassion, would forgive her for her many mistakes. When she finally decided to swallow her pride and ask Hermione to care for her children, Astoria thought of Anya first, and how with Hermione, her daughter would get the type of mother she wanted.

Suddenly, an uncomfortable pressure began to fill her chest. Standing to her feet, Astoria hunched over slightly as she walked, trying to take in deep breaths as she made her way back to her room. _Pain potion_, she repeated in her head as the pressure turned to pain. _All I need is a pain potion._

* * *

><p>A crashing thud vibrated through the house, causing both Draco and Hermione to sit straight up, slightly panicked as they looked at each other.<p>

Draco hesitated for a split second before leaping from the couch. Hermione followed, right on his heels. He jumped the stairs three at a time and sprinted down the hallways until he found his worst fear - his wife crumpled in a lifeless heap on the floor.


	14. Chapter 14

**_Question: Guess how much packing got done today?_**

**_Answer: Not a whole lot._**

**_Repercussions: My mother is going to shit kittens when she gets here on Friday. I should have paid someone to pack._**

* * *

><p>"<em>Please. Don't pretend like you've suddenly fallen in love with me."<em>

"_Fallen in love…you infuriating, mental, lunatic of a woman! Of course I've fallen in love with you! I haven't had any bloody choice! You gave me a child! You're around me all the goddamn time! It was hard to avoid the natural progression of this relationship - arranged or not!" _

_It was another classic impasse between Draco and Astoria once Anya was tucked into her crib for the night. They never knew what started the fights, but it never mattered once they were knee deep with rage because the way to win was to see which button the other could jam in the hardest. _

"_You don't love me. Not the way you're supposed to!" Astoria exclaimed._

"_I love you in all the ways that count!" Draco spat. "If I tried to love you any harder I swear it would bloody kill me." _

_Astoria scoffed, shooting him a glare before walking out of the room. "Believe me, Draco. I'm not that lucky." _

* * *

><p>"Draco?"<p>

He felt a familiar hand lightly brace his shoulder as it lightly shook him out of his train of thought. Looking up, he saw a sleepy Hermione take a seat next to him on the uncomfortably padded bench in the waiting room at St. Mungo's, still in her pajamas. "The children -"

"My parents have them," Hermione said softly. "I flooed them over and apparated here as quick as I could."

He nodded, swallowing the lump of emotion tinged with bile that was threatening to rise in his throat. "The healers aren't saying much."

Hermione nodded, her hand retracting from his shoulder. She wasn't sure what she should do, and was trying to resist the urge to apologize for all but sleeping on him while his wife was roaming about upstairs. Her guilt she could deal with later, but she didn't know what to do for the man sitting in front of her as he waited for someone to tell him anything. "Have you, has someone contacted her parents or your father?"

Draco gave a simple nod. "Her parents said they would come once there was news. As if the news of her being at the bloody fucking hospital isn't enough."

She bit her lower lip, unsure of how to respond. She was already preparing herself for the worst as they sat in the silent waiting room. Hermione kept a small bit of space between the two of them as they stared in every direction but each other. Draco stole a glance at her every few seconds, watching as she studied the silver borders around the tiled floor. He reached out for her hand and grabbed it tightly, exhaling a small sigh of relief when she didn't make any sort of move to pull away.

* * *

><p>Jean was able to get Scorpius to go down in a portable crib in the room across the hall while her husband still had Claire sprawled out on his chest as he laid in their bed, mindlessly flipping through the muted television channels. She knew something was wrong, being woken up in the middle of the night and taken to Hermione's parents house, and every so often a small whimper would escape her lips.<p>

Removing her robe as she walked into their room, Jean climbed back into bed and watched her husband as he stroked a hand lightly over Claire's long blond curls. "Richard, do you want me to put her in Hermione's room?" she whispered.

He shook his head no. "She's fine right here."

She could tell by his tone of voice that there was no point in arguing. He'd lie there all night if it meant Claire would stay asleep. After all, Jean had seen him do the same with Hermione all those years ago. Leaning over, she gave Richard a soft kiss on the cheek. "You're a good man, Richard Granger."

Richard smirked. "Just now figuring that out, love?"

"Yes," she playfully mocked. "I did make you earn that first date, after all."

Claire snuggled into Richard's embrace as he kissed the top of her head, keeping a firm hand on her back. "Yes," he whispered as he remembered. "Chased you for six months, I did, you wretched tease."

Jean stifled a laugh as she pulled the blankets up over her and settled back down, her head resting on her pillow. "Just wanted to see how serious you were. Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

* * *

><p>Draco and Hermione waited an hour before they heard any news. Healer Nelson looked didn't have to say anything. The look on his face was enough, and Draco was fine without hearing the actual words. As he pulled off his scrub cap and mask, his shoulders dropped in defeat.<p>

"It was just too advanced, Mister Malfoy. Cancer in wizards is rare and we're still learning how it affects our bodies in comparison to muggles."

He felt Hermione's grip on his hand tighten as he watched slow tears begin to roll down her cheeks. He managed to hoarsely squeak out a "yeah," and vaguely catch the details as to what to do next. Draco heard himself ask Healer Nelson to contact her parents, which he agreed to do before hearing himself ask if he could see her.

"Of course," Healer Nelson replied. "Please. Follow me."

Draco squeezed Hermione's hand as he let go, rising to his feet to follow Healer Nelson. She made no movement to follow, which didn't surprise him. Reaching the waiting room door, he turned around and looked at her. "Don't leave me," he said, not even caring at how weak he must have sounded. "Please, Granger."

She nodded, wiping her tears away as she steeled her nerves. "I'm not leaving you. Promise."

* * *

><p>Astoria was as peaceful as he'd seen her in months, lying in the bed with the blankets pulled up to her chin. Draco managed to keep his composure, taking a seat next to her bed and slipping his warm hand into her cold hand, but it was all lost once Healer Nelson left him alone in the room. Choking sobs racked his body in a way he didn't realize was even possible as he squeezed her lifeless hand tight. All the things that went unsaid between the two of them were beginning to cloud his mind as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand, his thumb and forefinger digging into the corners of his eyes as if to plug away the tears that wouldn't stop.<p>

"Blasted woman," he muttered, sniffing as he wiped his nose on his shoulder. "You weren't supposed to do this to me. Not this way. Not that you ever listened to me before…"

He stifled another sniffle as he gave her hand one more squeeze. Standing up, he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering for the briefest of seconds.

Draco managed to numbly find his way back to the waiting room, staying only until her parents and Daphne arrived, the three of them distraught. Unable to handle the emotional toll of it all, he gave Hermione a look and in moments, Healer Nelson reappeared to talk to his in-laws. As the three of them left to see Astoria one final time, he let Hermione reach for his hand and in a second, they popped out of sight.

* * *

><p>They apparated into the Granger's living room, Hermione skilled to the point that she was able to apparate with the faintest of pops as they appeared in the dimly lit room. It took Draco a moment to realize where he was, but when he remembered his children were here as well, it made sense. The silence was thick between them as they walked towards the staircase, Draco lumbering behind Hermione as his shoulders felt like they were ready to crumble from the weight of the evening's events. He went into the spare bedroom, finding Scorpius inside the muggle playpen contraption Jean used when Hermione wasn't around to transfigure a bed out of the existing furniture. Draco wanted to scoop his son up and hold him tight, but was afraid if he woke him, he wouldn't be able to handle looking at his innocent face, or tolerate his cries, as he would have to lull him back to sleep.<p>

"Claire's sleeping in my parents room," he heard Hermione's soft voice speak from behind him. Turning around, Draco could see she was just as upset as he felt, though she was trying her best to wear a strong face. He knew she wore her emotions on her sleeve…he didn't expect anything less.

Stealing one last look at his son, he walked out of the spare bedroom and into the hallway where Hermione stood, her hair falling out of the messy bun she hastily pulled it up into earlier that evening. "Fuck," he suddenly muttered as another weight felt like it dropped on his shoulders. "Anya."

"I sent a patronus to McGonagall when you were…" her voice disappeared towards the end of her statement. "I'll get her tomorrow."

"I'll go," Draco rasped, dragging a hand over his exhausted face.

Hermione shook her head. "You'll stay here. I'll get her. Come on."

He felt him grab ahold of his hand and lead him down to her bedroom. "What are you doing?"

She opened her bedroom door. "You can stay in my room. I'll sleep with Scorp. You need to get some sleep."

Draco shook his head no. "I can sleep with Scorpius."

"Draco, I'm really not arguing about this," Hermione whispered with exasperation. "Please, just sleep in here."

A hand on his lower back, she gently nudged him into the room, following him as he took a seat on her bed. Standing in front of him, Hermione stared at him before his head collided with her stomach, leaning into her as he broke down into another round of sobs. A flick of her hand sent her bedroom door closing with a soft click so he wouldn't disturb the house, her other hand rubbing soothing circles on his back as she stood there, tears pooling in her own eyes.

He sniffled as he swiped tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand. His breathing was labored, though Draco felt himself calming as Hermione continued to move her hand across his back. "Don't leave me," he managed to speak in between his settling sobs.

"I'm not leaving you," she reassured him, her own voice wavering slightly.

"No, I mean now," he all but begged. "Please. Please stay, Hermione."

A thousand different reasons were screaming no in her head, but when Draco looked up at her with his sorrow filled eyes, Hermione didn't have the heart to say anything but yes. With a silent nod, he stood up from the bed and watched as Hermione carefully turned down the blankets on her bed. Draco shuffled over to the other side and peeled off the thin white t-shirt he was wearing, dropping it to the floor in a heap. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but her voice wouldn't speak. She wanted to ask what he was doing, but realized as he crawled into bed and under the covers that he was so tired he wasn't realizing that he was doing anything different from what she assumed was normal for him.

Carefully, Hermione followed suit, peeling her socks from her feet and climbing into bed. She was cautious about staying on her side of the queen-sized bed from her youth, rolling onto her side so that her back was facing him. Exhaling, she saw the glare of the alarm clock and realized she would be awake again in a few hours.

"Granger," she heard Draco's ragged voice squeak out her name.

"Yes?" she quietly replied.

He cleared his throat a bit as he took in a deep breath. He didn't know how to ask her, and he wasn't sure how to ask her without seeming incredibly improper given the circumstances. But he was on edge - his nerves felt like they were about to set him on fire and he knew that touching her would calm him down. "I just…I need…I want…" he stammered, fumbling over his words as he watched her roll over, facing him.

She hesitated for a moment before placing a hand on his cheek. "What, Draco? What do you want?"

Draco exhaled the moment he felt her hand on his cheek. "That," he whispered hoarsely.

"This?" she asked, her thumb brushing against his cheekbone as she stifled a yawn.

"Yes," he mumbled as he felt his body relax, his eyelids flutter before shutting completely. "Please don't leave," he mumbled, moments before he felt his body succumb to the mounting exhaustion as he fell asleep.

Hermione watched him for a few moments, her heart breaking as silent tears made their way down her cheeks. "I'm not leaving you," she repeated, reassuring him even as he was too exhausted to comprehend her words. "I promise."


	15. Chapter 15

_**Is this as proofread as it should be? Probably not. But moving sucks. Readjusting to a new job sucks (even if it is a better job) and I am literally ill at how long it's taken me to write this. So if you catch errors, just PM me. It's about 1am right now and I'm too tired to do anything more than spell check.**_

_**I hope you enjoy it...and that it was somewhat worth the wait.**_

* * *

><p>Hermione didn't get much sleep, despite her best efforts. Instead she lay propped up in bed as Draco was snuggled against her, one arm wrapped snugly around her waist as his head was tucked in the crook of her neck. A pepper-up potion would help aid her exhaustion later. The hand attached to the arm that was trapped as partial pillow to Draco absently ran through Draco's hair as Hermione made a mental list of everything they needed to do today once Anya was collected from Hogwarts. St. Agnes needed to be called as Claire was meant to return to school today, and a constructive conversation was going to have to happen between Draco and Astoria's parents at some point. There was a service to plan and for the sake of the children, she needed to make sure that it was done with minimal shouting.<p>

She tried her best to suppress the guilt at the small enjoyment she felt with Draco nestled so close to her. Hermione knew that what was in store for them the moment Draco woke up was going to be hard – maybe even impossible. Their friendship was about to be tested and Hermione's biggest fear was that the promise she made to Astoria would save the children but at the expense of her friendship with Draco. She couldn't make the gears in her head quit turning with every poor what-if scenario that crossed her mind.

_What if we can't co-parent? _

_What if Draco resented decisions I make?_

_What if Draco does meet someone else?_

_What if Draco never feels the way I feel - _

"Do you always think this loud?" Draco mumbled, his voice hoarse.

Her eyes went wide as she looked down at the top of his head. "How does someone think loud?"

Draco sighed and Hermione could have sworn he pulled himself closer to her. "Your entire body goes stiff and your heart thumps like a goddamn cannon…so stop it. I don't…want to wake up. Not yet."

He almost held his breath, exhaling as he heard her whisper, "ok." He wasn't ready to face what was going to be one of the longest days of his life, and he was enjoying the smell of Hermione's strawberry shampoo with each inhale. Draco wasn't one to admit his vulnerabilities aloud. A trick of the trade when raised as a budding death eater. As a child, his weak spot was his mother, and most of his horrendous acts were done because the consequences often included his mother in a torturous position he couldn't bear to neither watch nor stomach.

Then Anya was born, and he realized that his sole purpose in life was to protect and raise her in a world where bad and tragic events were not the norm. He became a man who could easily crumble with a pleading bat of those long eyelashes she inherited from her paternal grandmother, a man who would do anything his daughter asked of him - even if it meant hours of pretend tea parties and dressing up her dolls. When Claire came around, and when she learned how to say 'please,' with a non-existent l, he realized the two biggest threats to any sort of manliness he had left called him 'daddy.' His daughters softened the jagged edges of his personality while the birth of his son made Draco want to be the best man he could be - a role model to make his son proud.

He wasn't lying when he told Hermione what felt like an eternity ago that he didn't want another wife. He stood by that statement. Any female could be a wife. He wanted something more - a true partner that would fight with him and want to make up afterwards. A partner to tell him when he was being absurd and would encourage him when he felt like he had nothing left to give. What he didn't have was the courage to say to Hermione was that she was that person, but he knew he didn't have the emotional capability to handle a 'it'll be better if we're friends' speech he was convinced she'd give him in return. Draco knew he was falling in love with Hermione for a while now…he just became really good at burying the thoughts while keeping her just within his reach.

Draco was angry about many things. He was angry that his children were about to have their hearts broken for the first time. He was angry his children had to experience the emotions that came with death, and he worried about how it would affect them. He was angry that his wife, in the past year of her illness, became someone Draco could have easily fallen in love with, and he didn't like his emotions being toyed with. He could have loved that version of Astoria. He could have been happy with that version of Astoria. But she was gone, leaving Draco to once again pick up the pieces for the sake of his children.

He swallowed a shallow moan, knowing knew he shouldn't be enjoying the way her fingernails grazed against his scalp, or how she smelled of strawberries and vanilla. Draco knew he shouldn't be using her body as a pillow given the circumstances, and he knew he should have kept it together before he fell asleep instead of begging her to stay.

"Draco?"

"Yeah?"

He felt her sharp inhale before she slowly exhaled. "I can go to the guest room…we still have an hour or two before we need to get Anya. You should sleep as much as you can."

Shaking his head, Draco moved, propping himself up a bit so he could look down at Hermione. Her hair was about to burst out of the messy bun that was now haphazardly tied into and Draco could see she was just as exhausted as he felt. Tucking a few wayward curls back behind her ear for her, Draco quietly exhaled. "If you want to leave…you can leave."

Hermione bit her side of her lip as she stared at Draco. "I…" she began to say, trying to muster any courage her exhausted mind could muster at that moment. "I don't…what I mean to say is…I'm fine…here. That is, if you're fine…with me here."

"I don't want you to go," he whispered.

"Then I won't," she whispered back.

He wished he could have blamed what he did next on the fact that his mind had gone to shit since the healers declared his estranged wife dead. Draco wished he had some other excuse for how his lips managed to capture hers in the sweetest sort of way the moment the words "then I won't" escaped her mouth, but the only excuse he had wasn't an excuse at all.

He kissed Hermione Granger for no other reason that he wanted to.

Caught off guard for a moment, Hermione quickly ignored the rational part of her brain that told her this was the textbook definition of bad timing and closed her eyes, letting her arms sneak up around Draco's neck as he gently caught her upper lip with his lips. Part of her wanted this to feel wrong. Part of her wanted this to feel shame – shame as she was lying in bed enjoying the company of a man whose wife died just mere hours ago.

But none of it felt wrong. The litany of concerns ticking in her mind moments ago evaporated as she felt the next kiss come with a little bit more pressure as she gave in, his tongue slipping just past her teeth as a light moan escaped her lips. The last time she'd been kissed was the morning of the day Ron left her. It was quick and ordinary, just as most of their kisses were, as they went their separate ways after arriving at the Ministry. She'd kissed two people prior to this moment – Ron, of course, and Victor Krum – and she was certain that none of them possessed the capability to kiss her the way she was currently being kissed.

Draco couldn't get enough of the way her mouth tasted like spearmint. He was careful as he hovered over her, not allowing her arms to pull him too close. He didn't want her to feel the evidence regarding how much he was enjoying kissing her. Kissing her was nearly intoxicating. He'd snogged many girls in his day, but he'd yet to kiss anyone like Hermione Granger. He'd hoped one day that when he kissed his wife, back in the days when they didn't spend their free time wishing ill will on each other, that he would feel the spark, the energy, the desire to continue because the pull between them was too strong to want anything or anyone else.

But it was a different ball game when comparing having to love someone and wanting to love someone.

Suddenly, reality hit Hermione in a brief moment of clarity and broke her mouth away from his, panting as she shoved her hands into his chest to give them a small bit of distance. "Draco…Draco we, I mean, we can't -"

He couldn't decipher the look in her eyes, opened wide as they stared back him, her chest rising up and down as if she'd been chased for miles. "Right," Draco muttered after a few moments, tearing his gaze from hers as he felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Sorry," he managed to speak again, moving away from her.

She could hear the hurt in his voice and instinctively reached a hand around his arm, keeping him from moving. "Draco," Hermione whispered. "Draco, look at me."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not," he mumbled in reply.

"I wasn't saying no," she quickly retorted, catching his attention. "We just…I can't…not today. I don't want whatever this is to happen…today of all days…I'm not saying no. Just -"

"Not today," he finished with a sigh. Looking back at her, he felt her hand move from his arm to his cheek. With what little courage she had left from their previous kiss, she leaned forward and lightly kissed his lips, pulling away as quickly as she arrived. "We're both exhausted, the children will be awake any moment…and I don't want this to happen for the wrong reasons."

Draco knew she was right. Hermione was always right - one of her irritating quirks he'd grown fond of over the years. He watched her lay back down on the bed, motioning for him to follow suit. He briefly hesitated before lying down next to her, allowing her to hug an arm around the front of his chest as she nestled her head in the crook of his neck. "Go to sleep," he heard her whisper.

Certain his heart was racing too fast to fathom sleep, Draco did his best to close his eyes, allowing the soft strokes of Hermione's hand against his bare arm to once again lull him to sleep.

* * *

><p>Jean Granger awoke to the sounds of Scorpius babbling through the baby monitor. Calling out for Ga, as well as hearing some other words like car, Da, and coloring intermittently mixed through the babble, she looked over at her husband, sound asleep as Claire was snuggled into his chest as they had shifted onto their sides. Lightly kissing each of their foreheads, Jean crept out of bed, glancing at the clock as it turned over from 7:36 to 7:37am.<p>

She thought it to be wise, popping her head into Hermione's room to deduct who she'd be interrupting if she went in to pick up Scorpius, despite the fact that his current coos had yet to disturb anyone. Jean hardly expected to see her daughter in her room, wrapped around a bare chested Draco as the both lightly snored. She couldn't help but notice how comfortable and content the both of the looked, despite the circumstances. Making a mental note to talk to her daughter later, Jean quietly closed the door to Hermione's bedroom and walked into the guest bedroom. It was inside that Scorpius, standing up in the portable crib, smiling and grinning as he clutched his blanky in one hand and his stuffed dragon in the other, met her.

"Gamma!" he squealed.

Jean's face lit up as she beamed at the boy. He'd said 'Ga' for months now, but never anything for her other than a loud scream and point if whoever was talking to him wasn't quite getting the memo. "That's right, button!" she cooed as she picked him up from his bed. "Grandma!"

"Gamma!" he repeated, puckering his lips tightly as he kissed her cheek. "Nana bite. Nana bite."

"You want a banana?" Jean asked.

"Yeah," Scorpius replied. "Nana yum!"

"_Ba_nanas are very yum indeed," Jean replied, emphasizing the first part of the word.

"Da?" he asked as they walked down the hallway towards the stairs.

"Daddy is sleeping," Jean whispered. "So we have to be really quiet."

Scorpius put his petite finger to his lips. "Shhh," he hissed. "Da shhhh."

"That's right," Jean replied as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "We'll get you a banana and then you can help Grandma make waffles!"

Scorpius clapped his hands together and cheered, as he was in the beginning stages of being the sort of toddler that needed to help with everything. Jean, blessed with the patience of a saint, did her best to nurture the need to help, just as she'd done with Claire and Anya, and the Potter children as well. Had someone told her all those years ago when she found out her only child was in fact a witch that it would reward her later in life with an extended family that filled the house she feared would be empty once she and Richard decided to not pursue another child, Jean would have accepted the extraordinary world in a heartbeat instead of being hesitant and wary for those first few years. Despite its ups and downs, Jean wouldn't trade her life for anything. All she could hope for was that her daughter would someday feel the same.

Soft doorbell chimes brought Jean with Scorpius in tow to the front door, finding Harry Potter on her front porch with a sad sort of smile. "Good morning, Jean," he said to her.

She opened her arms and gave him a hug as best as she could with Scorpius on her hip. "Hello, Sweetheart."

"Hermione sent me a message last night about Astoria," Harry said as he walked inside, removing his shoes as he shut the door. Jean couldn't count how many times she'd told Harry he could keep his shoes on in her home, but he always mumbled something about it being a Dursley thing and took them off anyway. Scorpius reached over for Harry, who gladly took him as he gave him a hug. "Hey buddy," he said, ruffling his blond curls. "What are you up to this morning?"

"Nana," he replied, pointing back towards the kitchen.

"We are eating a banana in the kitchen," Jean clarified.

"Well, bananas are my favorite," Harry replied as he followed Jean towards the back of the house. "Can I have a banana?"

"No," Scorpius simply replied. "Mine."

Harry laughed, pushing the swinging door open. He placed Scorpius back into his high chair, where he resumed eating his banana. "Glad to see you inherited your father's ability to share – or lack thereof."

"Da shh!" Scorpius replied. "Shhh!"

"That's right," Jean said. "Daddy is sleeping."

"Yep," Scorpius added.

Harry took a seat at the bar, smiling as Jean handed him a fresh cup of coffee. "Thanks. Is Hermione awake."

Jean raised her eyebrows as she poured herself a cup. "She's sleeping still…but I reckon she'll be down in a bit. She mentioned last night she'd more than likely be fetching Anya in the morning."

Harry nodded. "How's Draco doing?"

Jean opened the refrigerator and retrieved the coffee creamer. "Well, I didn't see him last night, but he looked awfully cozy wrapped around my daughter this morning."

He didn't mean to choke, but the news took Harry back a bit. "Stop it," he said, regaining his composure. "In the same bed?"

Jean nodded, peeling back another banana as she chopped up chunks and let them drop onto Scorpius' high chair tray for him to pick up and eat with a paring knife. "I adore Draco. I really do. I assumed it would come to this eventually but –"

"Its bad timing," Harry finished. "Just a bit, anyway."

"I just don't want Hermione rushing into anything," Jean admitted. "I know I tease her about Draco, usually in good fun with a hint of truth behind it, but Ronald hurt her terribly. I know he's your best mate but –"

"I was livid at what he did to Hermione," Harry interjected. "Don't think you're offending me. I'm almost certain had it not been for Molly, Ginny would have hexed him something terrible. All I did was get in a good punch."

Jean took a sip of her coffee as she nodded. "Do you think Draco has genuine feelings for my daughter?"

Harry nodded, taking a sip of his own coffee. "Draco…is a complicated man. He's not the git we grew up with, though he's still as stubborn as they come – maybe even more so than Hermione. But he's different when he's with her, and Hermione's different too."

"I never see him without Hermione, so I wouldn't know about him," Jean replied. "But I do think she's much more like her old self with Draco than she was right after everything happened with Ron."

"Well, trust me when I say he's certainly a bigger pain in the ass without her," Harry replied with a chuckle.

* * *

><p>The radio clicked on at 8:00am sharp, and Hermione instinctively swatted the snooze button with her hand as the offending alarm chimed on the nightstand closest to Draco. Stifling a yawn, she tried to sit up but the arm firmly wrapped around her waist wouldn't allow it. She was momentarily confused before everything rushed back into her mind. There was kissing. Lots of kissing. Snogging, really. <em>Oh God,<em> she thought to herself. _What did I do? Like we don't have enough to worry about today and I've gone and probably ruined everything. I should've never kissed him back. What was I thinking!"_

"You're doing it again," Draco grumbled.

"Doing what?" Hermione asked, her voice light as she forced herself to speak.

"Thinking," he replied. "Loudly."

She sighed, still unable to move away from him…and his bare chest. "Sorry," she murmured.

"I don't regret it," he responded, followed by a loud yawn he had no interest in covering with his hand. "Stop thinking about how you messed everything up. You didn't. I kissed you."

Hermione bit her lip nervously as her eyes focused on a light pink scar above Draco's naval. "Everything's already so complicated," she whispered in reply.

Draco moved the arm he had securely wrapped around her waist. "Hermione," he said quietly. He waited for a moment, watching herself as she steeled her nerves before looking at him. "I'm rubbish with emotions, but I know this much –and I know that what I feel in regards to you is anything but complicated. I just have awful timing."

Hermione still chewed on her lip. "But you…you said at lunch that day –"

"I know what I said," he replied, cutting her off. "Just chalk it up to a misdirection of emotion, if you will."

"Misdirection of emotion," she repeated, slightly unsure of herself.

Draco glanced over at the clock and sighed. "I need to get Anya. I need to get Anya, I need to call Claire's school and excuse her until next week," he caught his breath and sighed. "I need to talk to Astoria's parents and my father."

Ignoring his change of topic, Hermione sat up in bed and waited for a moment before swinging her legs over to her side of the bed. Standing, she walked over by the dresser and picked up a duffle bag to place on the top. "I had Harby pack you a bag," she said. "I also sent Harry a patronus before I arrived at the hospital to let him know what was happening."

"Why would you tell Potter?" Draco asked, climbing out of bed.

"Because even though you act differently, you two are friends in your own, odd way, and he'd want to know. Just because you have no idea how to take people's kindness at face value doesn't mean Harry doesn't recognize it, thus continuing to be friends with you anyway," Hermione rattled on, staring at him through the dresser mirror as she tried to tame her unruly locks by refastening her hair up into a sloppy bun.

Draco yawned as he walked over towards her, standing directly behind her as he stared back at her pointed glare. "Easy, Granger," he mocked. "It was just a question."

"And I was merely giving you an answer," she replied, arching an eyebrow. "Why…why are you standing so close to me?"

Her tone in her second question was much less abrasive than the former, despite skipping from one topic to another. Draco was close enough to once again inhale the scent of her shampoo. Against his better judgment, he gently placed his hands on her shoulders and bent his neck down, watching her face through the mirror as he whispered in her ear. "Maybe I like standing close to you."

She looked back at him, inhaling sharply as his breath tickled her ear. "Maybe I don't want you standing that close to me."

"Maybe I think you're a liar," he murmured.

"You're acting awfully bold for someone in your current situation," Hermione quietly replied.

"Maybe you bring it out in me."

She didn't know how she did it, but she managed to sneak away from him before he could trap her. Holding the back of her neck with her hand, she backed herself towards the door as she kept her eyes on him. "Get dressed," she lightly commanded. "I'm going to check on the children…and I meant what I said last night. If you want me to get Anya, I will."

He shook his head no, breaking eye contact as he rooted through the bag his house elf packed. "She's my daughter," Draco said with a sigh. "I'll get her."

"Harry will go with you…if you want," Hermione said. "I'm sure of it."

"You don't want to come?"

"Someone should stay with the children," she replied. "If you're leaving, I don't want to leave."

He sighed. "Alright."

"See you downstairs," Hermione said before walking out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Hermione resisted the urge to groan for a multitude of reasons flooding her mind as she made her way downstairs, telling herself repeatedly to act normal. If she could repress her feelings for Ronald Weasley through six years of Hogwarts up through the end of the Horcrux hunt, she could certainly mask the fact that she not only shared a bed with Draco Malfoy but that she also enjoyed it.

Walking into the kitchen, she saw Harry's back as he sat at the counter, while Scorpius munched on a banana and now a granola bar while her mum whisked waffle batter in a large bowl. Wrapping her arms around his neck from behind, she rested her chin on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for coming," she said softly.

"It's the least I can do," Harry replied, leaning back into her slightly. "Is Draco awake?"

"Draco? Um, yes, of course. He's awake. Just changing actually. Should be down in a minute," she rattled off, earning a peculiar stare from him as well as her mother. As Harry gave her a wry smirk, she removed her arms from around him and placed her hands haughty on her hips. "What?" she asked innocently.

Harry stifled a chuckle. "Nothing."

"Don't you lie to me, Harry Potter," she warned. "I'm running on very little sleep."

"I'm sure," he teased, arching a curious eyebrow.

"And what, might I ask, are you trying to insinuate?" she asked, her voice shrill.

Harry took a drink of his coffee, eyeing her a bit to see if she had her wand visible. "Were you, or were you not sleeping in the same bed as Draco Malfoy?"

Her cheeks grew red as she vehemently tried to rebuke his accusation. "What makes you - I mean - of course not! That's…that's…that's absurd!"

"She's a horrid liar, isn't she Jean?" Harry asked her mother.

"Always has been," Jean replied in an even tone.

Hermione was certain her face was as red as a Weasley head. Looking around the kitchen, she noticed her father was nowhere to be seen. "Oh my god!" she gasped. "Did Dad…did he -"

"He's still sleeping with Claire in our room," Jean interjected. "I checked in on you this morning…"

"Oh…"

"Yes," Jean replied, watching the color drain from her daughter's cheeks.

The mother-daughter duo exchanged telling glances for a few moments before Draco walked into the kitchen, dressed for the day, and immediately felt as if he intruded. Harry looked over at him, and Draco gave him a nod.

"Potter."

"Malfoy. Sleep well?"

"A few hours, four at the most," he replied with a yawn, not missing a beat as he ignored the somewhat knowing look on Harry's face.

Harry nodded. "I called St. Agnes for you - let them know that Claire wouldn't be starting term until next week."

"Thanks," Draco replied, silently grateful there was one less task on his to-do list that day. "Speaking of Claire…"

"She's still asleep with Richard. She slept in our room last night."

Draco's shoulders dropped slightly. "My apologies. She knows better –"

"Nonsense," Jean said. "We never mind. Besides, I think Richard likes it. He misses the days when Hermione was little, before she decided that if she woke up at dawn it would give her a chance to miss as little as possible."

Hermione rolled her eyes at her mother's playful jab regarding her overeager personality. She reached for a wet rag on the counter and used it to clean off Scorpius' banana gunked hands as he reached them towards her. "Yuck!" he exclaimed as she wiped them off.

"All clean!" she sang, bending down to kiss the top of his head. She looked back over at Draco and Harry, sighing a bit. "Maybe it'd be best if you went and got Anya…before Claire wakes. If you wait she won't want you to leave."

Draco nodded, exhaling a heavy sigh of his own. "Probably."

"I've already called our office – left a message for our assistant to reschedule our appointments for the remainder of the week," Jean added. "If you need us, we'll be here."

He shook his head no. "Please don't rearrange your day because of this. I can't ask that of you."

"You didn't ask," Jean replied, walking towards Draco. She placed her hands on his arms and looked him right in the eye as she stared up at him. "We care about you, and we love the children. We will be where we need to be, and right now, that's here."

Draco looked down and gave her a small nod of understanding as Jean gave him a hug. "Thanks, Jean. That…I just…it means a lot. Really." She kissed his cheek and gave him another hug, which he returned. "Eh, Potter…" he said as Jean let go. "Granger mentioned something about you coming with me to Hogwarts."

Harry nodded. "Only if you want me to, mate."

"I can't really judge how she's going to react," he warned.

"Well…we'll see what happens and take it from there," Harry replied. "If I have to bring James with me, I will. I think he helps sometimes."

Draco shrugged. "I'm not sure your son deserves that sort of punishment, but it's your call, Potter."

Harry chuckled as he stood up from the barstool. "She's his best friend. He'll do whatever she wants."

"Well…we best be going then," Draco replied with a sigh. "I'm not sure what I'm dreading more - telling Anya or talking to Astoria's parents." He looked over at Hermione, who pouring batter into the waffle iron. "I don't think we'll be long," he said, speaking directly to her.

Hermione shut the iron and looked at him, his face saying more than he spoke, his eyes imploring her to save him from the inevitable. "Alright," she quietly replied with a sympathetic glance. "We'll see you in a little bit."

He wanted to hug her, or, he wanted her to hug him. Instead, Draco resisted the urge, not wanting to draw attention to him, and allowed Harry to grab ahold of his arm as they disapparated out of the house.

* * *

><p>Anya felt as if something was off from the moment she woke. She wasn't tired, despite being caught by Filch after curfew, she completed all of her homework that was assigned over the holiday break, and she'd searched her trunk twice that morning, wondering if the off feeling was coming from an item she forgot but had yet to realize, but everything was there.<p>

Examining her appearance in the mirror that morning, she straightened out the knot in her Slytherin tie and made sure her blouse was tucked into her pleated black skirt. Adjusting her tights, she slipped into her black ballet flats and whipped her hair up into a perfected messy bun with the help of her wand. Slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder, Anya sighed as she walked out of the dormitory and up towards the Great Hall for breakfast.

She spotted Elsie Pucey and Jemma Daniels waiting in the hall near the Great Hall entrance, scowling as the Bloody Baron moved through them both as he chased Peeves down the hall. She wasn't feeling up to gossiping about whatever news they had mustered up from the time they boarded the Hogwarts Express to now. Elsie frantically waved a hand at Anya, motioning for her to hurry up and come towards them.

"Where were you last night?" Elsie hissed.

"We looked everywhere for you – in all the usual places!" Jemma added.

"The Astronomy Tower…"

"The Quidditch Pitch…"

"And the library – twice," Elsie punctuated. "No one could find you on the train, either. My brother really wanted to talk to you, too. I think he wants to ask you to the Spring Fling dance!"

Anya did her best to keep her face from contorting into a Malfoy-esque grimace. It wasn't that Anya didn't like Zach, Elsie's twin brother, but Zach was notorious for trying to get girls to make out with him in random, empty classrooms. While some of her classmates may be into that – Anya found nothing appealing about letting a thirteen-year-old boy's tongue in her mouth. When Elsie, Jemma, and some of the older girls in her dorm would get giggly and talk about things that Anya was convinced none of them were old enough to be doing at that moment, she felt nothing but appalled.

Jemma nudged Anya with her elbow. "Didn't you hear what Elsie said?" she asked. "Zach wants to ask you to the dance!"

"I don't even know if I'm going," Anya replied plainly as she walked towards the Great Hall. She saw Teddy and James rounding the opposite corner at the other end of the hall, walking to breakfast as well.

"Not going? _Not going?_" Jemma sputtered. "Why wouldn't you go?"

She whipped around and stared at her two friends. "Because if you haven't noticed, I've got actual things going on right now that may preclude me from thinking about something as trivial and silly as a dance!"

Storming off, she ignored the snide _drama queen_ remark Elsie hissed under her breath as she walked towards Teddy and James. Teddy took one look at her as she approached and laughed. "Finally tired of those two nitwits?" he asked.

"I am this morning," Anya groused.

"What has you in a mood this morning?" James asked.

She sighed. "I don't know – I feel…off."

"Off?" James inquired.

"I thought I was missing something, but I've searched everything and can think of nothing. It's just a weird feeling, but I cannot find out the cause," Anya clarified.

Teddy laughed again, his hair changing to a bright shade of yellow. "Maybe you feel off because you're actually talking to James in public, instead of treating him like a bloody pariah."

James smacked Teddy in the arm. "Oi! Don't you have a girlfriend to snog or something?"

"Indeed I do," he replied with a cheeky grin, darting off towards the bustling sounds of the Great Hall.

Anya sighed, chewing on the inside of her lip as she stood next to James. "Want to sit together at breakfast?"

James shrugged as they began to walk. "You know that choice isn't up to me."

She rolled her eyes. "Again…this is me, trying to be better about you and me, in public. Take it or leave it."

James laughed as he grabbed her messenger bag from her, slinging it over his shoulder. "I'll take it."

Anya went to protest at him carrying her bag, but knew it was pointless. She'd seen Harry carry all sorts of things for both Ginny and Hermione all time, and was aware that there was no changing James when it came to chivalry. The two of them chose a seat away from the majority of students near the front of the hall, sitting next to each other as plates magically appeared before them. Anya spooned some scrambled eggs and snagged a couple slices of toast while James piled a mountain of food from eggs to pancakes on his plate.

"How can anyone eat that much?"

"Normal people can't," James boasted. "But I'm half Weasley."

She watched him shovel a mouthful of food into his mouth and grin. "Lovely," she replied, feigning disgust before returning to her own breakfast.

The two of them sat in a comfortable silence, eating breakfast. James was oblivious to the looks her friends were giving the two of them from across the room at the Slytherin table, but Anya didn't care. She told her friends last year when she found out her mum was sick, and all they could muster was a sympathetic stare before changing the subject to something they cared about – like their gossip magazines Jemma's sister would by them in Hogsmeade. When Anya was having a bad day, or a sad day thinking about her mother, her friends would tell her to quit being a downer, and to cheer up.

James, on the other hand, when she gave into the urge and sought him out, would sit with her in a hidden corridor of the library and listen until she had nothing else to say. He'd become good at knowing when she wanted him to respond and when she wanted him to just listen. Hermione had been right to tell her she'd been treating James poorly, though if she'd been honest she'd somewhat come to that conclusion on her own a few months ago. She just didn't know how to break the habit, outside of making a conscious effort to be better, and with Hermione's reasoning in the back of her mind, Anya found herself able to ignore her 'friends' a bit easier as she caught their stares once more.

"You forgot your cardigan," James pointed out as he lapped up the remainder of syrup on his plate with his last forkful of pancakes. "You're going to freeze during Charms. Hey – maybe that's what you couldn't figure out you forgot?"

Anya mentally scolded herself for forgetting her cardigan, but knowing she forgot it didn't make the unsettling feeling disappear. "I'll just cast a warming charm on me," she said, knowing she'd rather go back for her cardigan, but didn't have enough time.

James took his Gryffindor cardigan out of his back and handed it to Anya. "I wore my sweater today," he said.

"Um…"

"While it might clash with your Slytherin tie, I hardly believe it to make you physically ill," James teased.

"It might," Anya replied, hesitating to take the cardigan.

Ignoring her, he draped the jacket over her shoulders. "Just don't lose it – it's one of my dad's."

"Why do you wear your dad's old cardigan?" she asked, sliding her arms through the large sleeves.

"Because I can, I guess," James replied. "He was going through a bunch of stuff to put in storage and I asked him if I could have them, and he said ok." He stood up from the table and grabbed their bags. "Want to spend free period in the library? I could use the study time before we head off to Charms."

Anya shrugged. "That's fine. I need two or three more inches on my potions essay, anyway."

"Will you read over mine?" he asked. "You know I'm rubbish at it."

She nodded as the two left the Great Hall, James finally noticing the stares from Anya's friends. "Just ignore them," she said with a sigh.

"Obviously," James replied. "I learned how to ignore them a long time ago, YaYa."

"Don't call me YaYa."

"YaYa," He repeated with a cheeky grin. "Besides, ignoring them was the only way to stay friends with you."

Anya heard the teasing tone in his voice, but it didn't make the words sting any less. Stopping in her tracks, she looked down at the hard, concrete floor. James noticed she wasn't in step with him a few seconds later and turned around. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'm an awful friend."

James walked back over to her and put a friendly hand on her arm. "Anya, I was teasing."

"But I am!" she wailed. "I get you in trouble with Filch and McGonagall by practically forcing you to come out into the forest –"

"Well yeah, but it wasn't like I was going to let you go alone –"

"And I've been horridly dreadful to you at school –"

"Anya stop!" James exclaimed. "Yes, you've been…less than pleasant to know while at school, and yes, your friends are idiots, but we're friends – no matter what. We've known each other our entire lives. Nothing's going to change that."

She looked up at James and suddenly saw Harry and her father standing down the hall, Professor McGonagall standing between them. The three of them had solemn looks on their faces. "No…" she whispered.

"I mean it," James implored. "I promise – we'll always be friends."

"No – not that," she whispered. "It's my dad."

James turned around and saw the three adults. "I thought she said she wasn't going to tell our parents about last night –"

Anya shook her head. "She didn't. It's something else. Look at Dad's face."

Catching the looks on their faces as they came closer, James reached down and grabbed Anya's hand, holding it tight as he felt her body tense.

* * *

><p>When Draco saw his daughter, he nearly breathed a sigh of relief for no other reason than she was already with James and not one of those nitwit girls he did his best to ignore when they came over to the mansion. The relief was short lived, however, because the look on his daughter's face nearly killed him as he watched James protectively grab her hand.<p>

Speaking of hands, he looked over as he felt Professor McGonagall place a comforting hand on his upper arm. "Like we discussed, she can resume term when she's ready," she said softly. "I'm going to alert her teachers of the unfortunate news."

"Thanks, Minerva," Harry quietly replied. "I'll most likely return James this evening."

"Do what you need to do, Potter," Professor McGonagall said. "I'll leave you both to it. The floo in my office will be ready once you are prepared to depart."

Professor McGonagall walked away, leaving the hallway as a Potter-Malfoy pair stood at either end. Harry looked over at Draco and gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "She might look like her mother - but she's stubborn like you," he murmured. "You're going to have to go to her."

He nodded, well aware by the frozen stare on Anya's face that he would have to move to her. Carefully, he swallowed the dread, burying it deep as he walked towards his daughter, Harry following him a few steps behind. Draco stopped a good three feet in front of her, his hands buried in the pocket of his coat as he looked at her eyes. "Sweetheart," he said softly. "I need you to come home."

Anya wanted to speak, but her mouth wouldn't open. Her eyes welled with tears as she used the sleeve on her free hand to soak them up before they fell.

"Anya," he said, his voice quiet and firm. "Do you understand me?"

James squeezed her hand as she stifled a sniffle. "Yes," she whispered. A few silent moments passed between them as Anya did her best to keep her composure. "She died, didn't she?"

Draco nodded. "Yes."

A tear slipped down her cheek as James squeezed her hand once more. "James," Harry said. "You're excused from classes today if you wish to come with us."

James looked at Anya, who stood there, clutching his hand as she stared at the floor, silent tears leaping from her cheeks to the cobbled floor. "Alright," he replied.

Suddenly, Anya bolted from James' grasp and straight into her father, nearly knocking him over as he did his best to keep his balance. He wrapped his arms around her tight as her arms hung by her sides, her silent tears turning into sobs. Harry cast a temporary silencing charm around her so no one else could hear. Draco bent down and kissed the top of her head. "I'm so sorry," Draco whispered in her ear. "I did everything I could, Anya. Believe me, I did."

"We - were - going - to - get a - dress," she choked out between sobs. "She - actually - wanted - to go! And now - she can't!"

"Shhh," he cooed, his hands rubbing soothing circles on her back as she continued to cry. "Everyone's at Grandma Jean's house," he gently spoke.

Anya pulled back from him, wiping her eyes with her sleeves. "Where's Grandmother - and - Grandfather?"

"Making arrangements, I assume," Draco said. "I'm going to go see them later."

"And Grandfather Lucius?"

"I'm sure he's at the Manor."

Anya sniffled again. "Is he - going to - make - you marry - Aunt Daphne?"

Draco couldn't have swallowed the laugh that escaped his lips if he tried.

"It's - not funny!" Anya wailed. "She's - wretched!"

Draco gave his daughter another hug and a kiss. "Grandfather Lucius cannot make me do anything - especially marry Aunt Daphne. Besides," he said, letting her go as he brushed a hand against her cheek. "I think your mother had a plan. We'll just have to see what happens."

Anya sniffled. "Can we go? Now? Please? I want…I want Hermione."

"Certainly," Harry replied. "Professor McGonagall will send your trunk home. It's probably already waiting for you at the Mansion."

Anya turned around at looked at James, who stood there, holding both of their bags on each shoulder. "Are you coming?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, tears falling down her cheek with every blink.

James nodded. "Obviously. Grandma Jean's probably making breakfast."

She choked on a laugh as she cried. "You literally just ate!"

"There's always room for waffles," James stated, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and giving her a hug. "Come on," he said, just a bit softer.

Anya nodded, accepting his hug before choosing to walk away, linking an arm with her father as she leaned her head on his upper arm. Draco slowed his gait to match hers as they walked towards Professor McGonagall's office, with Harry and James a few steps back.

* * *

><p>Claire opened her eyes at the sound of a loud snore coming from the nose of Grandpa Richard. She wiggled around in his grasp, another stuttered snore escaping his nose as she curled into him. She vaguely remembered being disrupted from her bed, confused, but settled once Grandma Jean said she could sleep with them. She was never allowed to sneak into bed with her Mummy and Daddy - same room or not. If she had a bad dream, Harby would come with a yucky dreamless sleep potion and let her chase it with a glass of pumpkin juice. But when she spent the night at Grandma Jean and Grandpa Richard's, she was always excited because they slept in a big bed and didn't mind if she slept in between them.<p>

She looked up as Grandpa Richard yawned, and she mimicked his actions dramatically, yawning as well as she placed her hand over her mouth just as Grandpa Richard did. "Are you mocking me?" he asked, his eyes twinkling through their exhaustion.

Claire giggled. "Nooooo…"

Richard used his free hand to tickle her belly as she laughed. "I think you were mocking me!"

"I wasn't!" she squealed. "I wasn't!"

He stopped tickling her and dropped a kiss on the tip of her pointed nose. "Did you sleep well, Claire Bear?"

She nodded. "I don't know why we came here though. Where's Mummy and Daddy?"

Richard sighed. He wasn't sure who was telling whom what at this point. The entire situation wasn't fair at all, and his heart ached for the children. Sitting up a bit in bed, Claire followed suit, still snuggled in the crook of his arm as she looked up at him, waiting for an answer. "Claire…"

"Where's Mummy?" she asked again, singling out the one parent she was concerned about the most.

He sighed again, scratching his beard that was about a day or two away from a trim. The squeak of a door hinge saved him from the question temporarily as Hermione poked her head in. "Claire Bear," she said, a smile plastered on her face. "Grandma Jean is making waffles if you want to come help."

Claire thought about this for a moment, but was unfortunately unfazed from her previous question. "Hermione, where's Mummy? I want to see her. Please?"

Hermione walked into the bedroom and sat down on her mother's side of the bed, tucking her legs underneath her crisscrossed as she looked at her father for a moment, then back to Claire. She wanted to wait for Draco to return with Anya, but she knew Claire, and knew she could continue to ask the question until someone cracked. "I'm so sorry, Claire Bear," Hermione said quietly as her voice wavered a bit. "But…your mummy - who loved you very, _very_ much - was just so tired from the germs and her cancer that she went to Heaven, where Nana Cissa is."

Claire's lower lip trembled as a big fat tear squeezed out of the corner of one of her round, grey eyes. Richard tightened the hug he had around her as her breathing quickened. "No!" she wailed, turning into Richard's blue pinstriped pajama shirt, her sobs muffled as she cried. "Mummy!" Hermione heard her cry. "I want my Mummy."

"Claire," Richard whispered, comforting her as he stroked a hand over her wild, bed head curls. "It's alright, Claire," he whispered. After a few moments, he picked her up and placed her chest on his, her bird legs wrapping around his waist as she sobbed into his shoulder. He let her cry, kissing her temple every now and then as Hermione watched, a few tears of her own falling. As her sobs subsided into smaller cries, Claire pulled away from his shoulder, wiping the tears from her face with a nearly uncoordinated swipe of her hand. "Everything will be ok," he promised her. "Grandpas don't make promises they cannot keep. It's against the rules."

Claire sniffled. "I just didn't want her to die."

"No one wanted her to die," Hermione replied, as Claire turned around to look at her. "She was just very, very sick. She didn't want to leave you, either. I promise."

"Where's Daddy?"

"He went to get YaYa," Hermione said, her voice soft. "She's going to come home. We will have a wake on Friday, where everyone can come and say goodbye to your mummy."

Claire hiccupped a little bit as Richard handed her a tissue to wipe her runny nose with. "Do you think Mummy is ok in heaven?"

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat. "You know what the best part about Heaven is?" she managed to speak without her voice cracking. Claire shook her head no as Hermione continued. "When you go to Heaven, you aren't sick anymore. You're instantly better. So all of your Mummy's beautiful hair is probably back and long, just like YaYa's, and I'm sure she's dressed to the nines in her _fanciest _of outfits with all of her _best _bracelet and rings -"

"And having tea with Nana Cissa?" Claire asked, questioningly.

"Nana Cissa and Mummy liked having tea together," Hermione replied with a smile. "And now they can have tea together all the time."

Claire seemed to brighten up slightly at the idea, but it was only for a moment. "I still want my mummy," she whispered sadly.

"I know," Hermione replied, opening her arms as Claire lunged into them, hugging her tight. "And that's ok. I want you to want your mummy. I just wish I could make it better for you."

"Just remember you have loads of people who love you," Grandpa Richard added, as Claire sniffled, looking back to him. "And we can talk about your mummy as much as you want, and we can remember stories, and we can look at pictures, and that will help us when we feel sad, won't it?"

The little girl, heartbroken for the first time, nodded a bit as she sniffled. She looked back at Hermione, her eyelids brimming with tears. "Are you going to leave me too?" she asked, her little lips quivering with each words.

Hermione didn't bother to stop the tear that escaped her eyes. "I'm not leaving you," she whispered.

"What if you get sick like Mummy?" Claire asked, her voice squeaking.

"Listen," Hermione said, brushing Claire's tears back with the pads of her thumbs. "I promised your mummy I would take extra special care of you, Scorpius, and Anya. I have no intentions of breaking that promise."

Claire sniffled once more, before retreating back to Richard. She continued to blink tears away as she snuggled into the crook of his arm again, her eyelids heavy. "I'm hungry and I'm tired," she whined.

Richard let out a pitiful laugh as he brushed a hand over her hair. "Do you want to eat then, or take a little nap?"

Claire whimpered. "I don't know! When's Anya coming here?"

"I'm right here," Hermione heard Anya speak in a cracked voice. Turning around, she saw Anya in the doorway with Draco standing behind her, his hands on her shoulders. It took about a second for Anya to rush over towards Hermione, throwing herself into her arms as Hermione caught her, rocking her back and forth slightly as the two sat on the bed, Anya silently crying into Hermione's chest. "She promised," Anya said through her sobs. "She promised, Hermione!"

Hermione kissed the top of her head. "I know she did, sweetheart. She was just too sick to keep it."

The harder Anya cried, the more Claire cried, and as Draco watched from the doorway, leaning heavily against the frame, it was almost too much for him to bear. Eventually, Claire climbed off of the bed and went over to him, holding her arms up as Draco complied with her teary eyed, silent request. Swiveling gently at his hips, he hugged her tight as she cried, kissing her shoulder over and over again. "Daddy is so sorry," he whispered in her ear. "So very, very sorry."

Claire looked at her father, her cheeks stained with various tracks of tears. "Do you think Mummy will miss us?"

"I'm positive she already does," he replied. He heard her empty belly grumble as he cracked a small smile. "Grandma Jean is making breakfast. You should eat."

"Only if YaYa goes," Claire whined.

Anya looked up from the wet spot she cried into Hermione's shoulder at her sister. Sniffling one last time, Anya looked at Hermione. "This sucks," she muttered.

"It certainly does," Hermione agreed. "But we're all going to get through this together. I promise."

Anya nodded. Crawling out of Hermione's arms somewhat reluctantly, she managed to straighten her shoulders and put on as brave of a face as she could for Claire. She knew her reaction to everything would mirror hers. "Come on then," she said to Claire. She took her hand as Draco put her down on the ground. "James came with me. He'd probably do just about anything you wanted today."

"Like a tea party?" Claire asked through a sniffle.

"Oh…I think he'll enjoy that," Anya said, laughing a bit as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Come on - we better get you breakfast before he eats it all."

As the two girls left hand in hand, Hermione looked over at Draco and was for sure he was on the verge of collapsing from the amount of emotion running through his veins. Stifling a yawn, she watched as Richard pulled himself out of bed, and while clad in his pajamas walked over and gave Draco a bear of a hug. What shocked Hermione was how fiercely Draco returned it, as if he was clutching to a lifeline.

"You two ought to catch a kip," Richard said as he released him. "Let Jean and I handle the children for a few hours. We'll keep 'em occupied."

Draco shook his head. "I can't ask you to do that. You and your wife are already doing plenty."

Richard wasn't hearing any of it. Hermione stood up from the bed, summoning her father's glasses from his nightstand as she handed them to him to put on. "You two will be worthless to them if you're tired. So go - catch a kip. We'll take it from here."

It was a battle Draco would lose, so he gave in, his shoulders dropping as he turned on his heel. Hermione gave her father a grateful look and a light kiss on the cheek as she followed Draco down the hall to her bedroom, sealing the door as it shut with a bit of magic.

Draco shed his shirt, tossing it onto the dresser as he ripped the belt from its loops. "I've broken my children," he spat. "The one thing I never wanted them to experience. You don't recover from being broken, Granger. It fucking eats your soul and you spend the rest of your life trying to survive it."

Hermione leaned against the door, her arms across her chest as Draco continued to strip down to his thin white under shirt and his boxers. He peeled his socks from his feet and threw them to the floor as if they personally offended him by existing. "They aren't broken," Hermione said.

"This is going to break them," Draco repeated.

"It won't break them," Hermione repeated as well.

Draco sighed as he paced. "And what makes you so bloody fucking sure that it won't? Scorpius isn't old enough to be able to fucking remember Astoria when he gets older - and he's the child she was most excited to have! He's being robbed. Astoria's been robbed of her redemption regarding her horrid maternal instincts. My children are going to be broken - just like me - and I have no bloody way of fucking fixing it and it's suffocating! It's bloody suffocating!"

Hermione watched him sit down on the bed, panting as his usual, emotionally reserved demeanor exploded out of his soul. As he buried his eyes in the palms of his hands, she walked over, taking a seat down next to him. She was still dressed in her pajamas as she rubbed a hand on his back. "Listen to me," she said in her bossiest tone, her voice thick with emotion. "Your children will not be broken. This will stay with them, yes, and it will affect them, yes, but they will not be broken."

"How do you know?" he asked hoarsely. "You cannot predict the future, despite your noted brilliance."

"Because there's one gigantic difference between your awful childhood and their current childhood," Hermione gently replied.

"Which is what?"

"Love," Hermione replied. "Too many people - include you - love those three children to allow this to break them."

Draco looked over at her as he stayed hunched over, his elbows propping up his arched upper body. "Hermione," he whispered, leaning towards her. "I cannot survive this without you."

She leaned in towards him, linking her arm with his. "You won't have to."

"Will you sleep in here with me?" he quietly asked.

Hermione nodded. Standing up, she helped him pull himself up to his feet so she could turn down the bedding. Draco retreated to the other side - his side - of the bed and crawled in, pulling the bedding up over his chest as Hermione settled next to him, curled up on her side with her back to him. He used his arm possessively, pulling her close to him so he could inhale the scent of her shampoo with each breath. They both knew that today everything changed - the rules they both thought existed were thrown out the window the moment their lips met hours ago.

They just had to figure out how to navigate this newfound territory together, and delicately.

But for now neither could care, as exhaustion settled in, overwhelming them both into a deep and much needed sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Hopefully this serves as an adequate update. For those who are curious - I am working on the Show Me What I'm Looking For rewrite. I'm hoping to have those chapters reworked soon so I can finish up the story. I promise to finish up this story and Show Me before starting another - which is decent motivation because I've been brainstorming a few ideas...**_

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><p>"I don't think you understand exactly what you're asking me to do," Draco said before he left to meet his in-laws at the funeral home.<p>

Hermione walked around the living room of the Manor, following the path of toys scattered about by Scorpius as she flicked her wand at them, sending them back to their proper place. "I'm asking you to be a decent human being, Draco. You act as if I'm asking you to act like the Pope."

"What's a Pope?"

She sighed. "The name of the head of the Catholic Church - it's a Muggle thing."

"What's the rest of his body called?"

"Draco!" Hermione exclaimed, ready to chastise him but stopped as she saw the faintest of smirks creep across his face. "You know," she said. "As funny as I'm sure you believe yourself to be, the sooner you leave, the sooner you can return."

The wake for Astoria Malfoy would be small and private, as an intimate gathering of close friends and family attended. The meeting regarding the planning of the wake was filled with less hostility than Draco originally anticipated, though it was hard to regret the looks on her parents' faces…looks of regret while laced with shame. All Helena Greengrass could say over and over again was all the things she'd wished she'd had said to her daughter. Lloyd Greengrass sat stoically in a tall chair, watching ice swirl around in his firewhiskey glass as he suppressed his regrets as a father who never found happiness as a father of daughters.

Daphne was an entirely different story. She flipped on her sorrow switch whenever she found herself in a situation that would earn her sympathy. She wallowed and wept when Pansy Parkinson came into town the day before the wake. She wore a black veil in public, dabbing her eyes with the corners of a handkerchief even when there was nothing to soak - except of course attention. Draco didn't understand it, nor did he even try to begin to. All he wanted was the wake to be planned, executed, so that his children could have closure and they could all begin the process of moving forward. When he went with her parents and her sister to choose a coffin, Daphne clung to his arm like a rash, and the only reason he didn't forcefully peel her away with a hex was that he was specifically told by Hermione not to make matters worse.

The wake also became a loud source of contention yesterday between Draco and Hermione. Draco wanted her there. Hermione wanted to stay away from it. "It's not my place," she repeated every time he brought it up. "Me being there will only make things worse. Your father will be there. Your in-laws will be there. Harry and Ginny will be there with the children."

"If Harry bloody Potter can attend, why in the hell can't you?" Draco exclaimed as Hermione set the table for dinner at her parents' house, as the girls weren't keen on going back to the mansion just yet.

"Because Harry will not cause the same sort of scene that I will!" Hermione hissed. "Me being there will only exacerbate your in-laws - which will then upset the children more than necessary - which you will feed right of off and ultimately pop a valve! This is your time to mourn. Your time for closure. You might not like this decision, but it's the right decision."

"Not to intrude," Richard said, poking his head into the room where the two stood, separated by the table, a battle of wills clearly taking place. "But the children can hear you two shouting, and it's upsetting the girls."

Hermione set the stack of dishes down on the table, not breaking eye contact with him. "I know why you want me to go," she said, a bit calmer with compassion. "But it isn't what's best for the children - and neither is fighting over it."

In the end, Hermione didn't go, despite Draco's last pleading efforts. She buttoned up Claire's coat and gave her and Anya a kiss on the cheek as a tired Scorpius laid his head on his father's shoulder. "You have your letters to give Mum?" Hermione asked the girls, each of them nodding once. "Alright," she whispered, hugging them both. "Sit with your father and your grandparents, and try not to fidget too much. I'll be here when you get back."

Anya adjusted the scarf around her neck. "What will you do while we're gone?"

"I'm going to pick up a few things for Claire that we didn't get a chance to pick up before she goes back to school on Monday, and I'm going to pack a few things in my apartment to bring over."

"Like Crookshanks?" Claire squeaked as if it would be her sole, bright spot during this awful day.

Hermione nodded. "Exactly. Be good for your father."

"Girls, go ahead and get into the car. I'll be there in a moment."

Anya nodded, taking Claire's hand as they walked down the sidewalk, spotted with snow, towards the car. Draco watched as the girls climbed into the car, the driver closing the door behind them before turning his attention back to Hermione.

"Don't," Hermione said quietly. "If I could go, you know I would."

"You can," Draco said, almost pleading.

"I can't," she replied, smoothing a hand over his wool coat. "Besides - Claire's expecting an orange ball of fur here when she returns, and I couldn't disappoint her."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Please don't be offended if I hope you lose him somewhere between your house and mine."

"I'm going to pretend that's the grief talking," Hermione replied. She gave Draco a kiss on the cheek, her lips lingering for a moment before she pulled away. "Harry and Ginny will take good care of you. Promise."

"Alright," Draco resigned. "I'm expecting you to make this up to me, Granger."

"Because raising your children isn't enough?" she replied with a mocking glare.

"Touché, Granger. Touché."

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><p>Hermione's errands didn't take much time. She wasn't one who loved to shop, therefore she always made lists of what she needed at which places so that her time was used wisely. In Muggle London, she picked up a fresh notebook for Claire to use for her composition and English courses and a new art pad with a brand new set of colors, figuring she could use a little surprise after the week she was having. Popping over to Diagon Alley, she picked up some food for Crookshanks, purchased a few new children's books to read to Scorpius and Claire, a couple of ingredients from Slug and Jiggers to make a fresh batch of sleeping draught and a bruise healing paste. Scorpius had two gears - stop and go - and the kid was becoming a bruise magnet with his rough and tumble ways.<p>

She popped into the Three Broomsticks with her bags in tow for a bit of lunch when she saw Ron sitting at a table with Rosie, watching him try in vain to get her to eat her lunch. The little girl's red hair was a mess in a haphazard ponytail, a crooked bow, all telling signs that Ronald clearly had his daughter by himself that day because knowing Lavender from their days at school - she knew that she certainly wouldn't be seen so unkempt in public, let alone allowing it for her child. All superficial - no substance. That's what Ginny used to tell her all during sixth year as she silently fumed about the two of them.

Taking a seat several tables away, the server promptly arrived and Hermione ordered a small bowl of potato leek soup and a butterbeer. She pulled a book out of her purse and put her focus to the words, reading them one after the other as she tried to ignore the fact that she could feel Ron staring at her on top of trying to ignore the guilt she felt for not going with Draco and the children to the wake. It was the right decision to stay behind. Her parents agreed with her, which made Hermione feel better about her choice, but she knew Draco was a bit put out by the decision.

Hermione wasn't sure what was harder to ignore as she stirred her spoon around in her soup, keeping her nose in her book - trying not to think about Draco or trying to ignore Ron's gaze. It was easier, however, to ignore Ron by thinking about Draco, so she shut her book, at her soup, and kept her gaze on a knot in the wooden table. Draco, who last night after the kids were sound asleep snuck into her room and crawled into bed at the mansion as if she wouldn't notice someone skulking into her bed.

"_What are you doing?" she mumbled as Draco wrapped an arm around her waist. _

"_I can't sleep," he mumbled into her back, kissing her neck._

_Hermione sighed, rolling over as she stayed in his embrace. She cracked her eyes open and could see how tired her was. "There's no way you can't sleep," she stated. "You look as tired as I feel." _

_She felt him move a bare leg against hers, and that's when she remembered that she was merely sleeping in a tank top and a pair of boy shorts. Draco realized it as well. "Are you not wearing pants?" _

_Hermione yawned. "I have on shorts." _

_Draco lifted up the covers to look. "Those are hardly considered shorts." _

_Smacking the covers back down, she gave Draco a stare. "Really, Draco?" _

"_I'm just saying, those are awfully short shorts." _

"_Because they're technically underwear," she replied with a yawn. _

"_Really?" he asked, lifting up the blankets once more as Hermione smacked them back down. _

"_Draco Malfoy! Stop!" she scolded, though it was probably hard to take her seriously as she was trying to be stern while stifling a laugh. _

"_Why aren't you wearing pants?" _

"_Because I didn't think you would be so forward as to sneak into my room!" she exclaimed. "What if the children catch us!" _

_Draco rolled his eyes like he had been asked the world's most ignorant question known to mankind. "It's called an alarm clock, Miss Brightest Witch of Our Age. I'll be out of here before the children wake." _

_Yawning, Hermione was too tired to fight whatever this was and curled into him as he rolled onto his back. As her heavy eyelids fluttered shut once more, she heard mumble her last name. "What?" she sleepily asked._

_Draco yawned as well, throwing his free arm over his eyes as he exhaled. "You have nice legs." _

_Though her eyes were closed, it didn't stop her from rolling them. "Go to sleep, Draco." _

"Hermione? Hermione?"

The sound of her name from a familiar voice snapped her back into the moment. The familiar voice was Ronald, as he was now standing in front of her table, holding Rosie's hand as she stared at the ground. She didn't know why he was talking to her, let alone standing in front of her, but there he was, looking like she always remembered him - looking at her like he didn't know what to say.

She waited for him to say something after her name, but the moment he had her attention, he went silent. "Well," she asked, slightly annoyed. "Can I help you, Ronald?"

Ron shrugged his shoulders, his face indifferent. "No…I reckon not. I just thought I'd say…hey."

"Hey? What are we, twelve?" she asked, somewhat indignantly.

Looking scolded, Ron shrugged again. "You're always with Malfoy when I see you - thought I'd take the rare opportunity when you're not near him to say hello. See how you're doing."

Had he not had Rosie with him - a little girl who looked everything like a Weasley and nothing like her mother - a little girl that she envisioned them having time and time again - she would have been more curt. But she was there, and Hermione didn't want to speak ill of Ron with her in front of him, regardless of her current feelings. "Hello Rose," she said, her demeanor brightening a bit as she spoke to the child. "How are you today?"

"Daddy messeded up my hair," Rose proclaimed, looking up at him with disgust.

Hermione swallowed her laugh as Ron looked embarrassed by his daughter shaming him in public. "Why didn't your mummy do your hair this morning?"

Rosie sighed. "Mummy and Miss Pavarati went on a weekend holiday."

"I see," Hermione replied. "Well, if you'd like, I can fix it for you."

Her bright blue eyes lit up at the prospect of no longer walking around Diagon Alley looking like a ragamuffin. "Would you Miss Hermione?"

Hermione motioned for her to turn around, ignoring Ron as he stared at her, watching her carefully pull her hair out of the knot he put it in that morning. Once untangled, she put the hair into a long braided plait, trying her best not to think about how she always imagined her future, braiding bushels of wild red hair before she and Ron went out with the family she always wanted. Once finished, she tied the bow at the end and used her wand to cast a charm to keep the braid in place until Sunday night. "There you go, sweetheart," she said. "That should keep until your mummy comes back."

Rose turned around, her attitude improving greatly as she hugged Hermione. "Thank you, Miss Hermione!" she exclaimed.

"No problem," Hermione replied. Looking back up at Ron, her disposition changed like a switch. "If there isn't anything else I can do for you, I'd like to go back to my lunch."

Ron nodded quickly. "Right…well…I guess have a good day, and um…well, never mind. Thanks for helping with Rosie's hair. I'm rubbish at it."

"What were you going to say?" she asked, ignoring his gratitude.

Ron shook his head. "Nothing. It's nothing."

"Oh for Heaven's sake, Ronald - just say it!" Hermione said exasperatedly, just as she did when they were married.

She watched him shift back and forth on his feet before giving his daughter a sickle from his pocket to use in the gumball machine by the door. As she skipped away, his hands returned to his pockets as he looked at her while keeping an eye on his daughter. "I just think you should be careful. With Malfoy, that is."

Hermione could hardly contain the snort. "Excuse me? You of all people are warning me about being careful. Careful of what, Ronald? Of someone who genuinely cares about me?"

Ron leaned close to her. "Malfoy doesn't care about anyone," he hissed in a whisper. "I'm only looking out for you, Hermione."

Hastily, Hermione pulled out a few galleons - more than was necessary for her meal - and left them on the table as she threw her book in her purse, collected her backs, and stood up from the table. She walked three steps away from him before retreating. "You don't get to tell _me_ that you're looking out for me because you aren't. I'm not yours to worry about anymore, Ronald Weasley. I can take perfectly good care of myself and in case you need reminding - you lost the right to care about what I do the moment you came into our home and told me you were having a baby with someone _else_."

She walked out of the pub with her head held high, ignoring the stares of the handful of patrons inside as she walked out of the door and into the alley, immediately disapparating from the alley to her condo in Muggle London.

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><p>The graveside service for Astoria wasn't more than a half hour long, but the family and friends invited gathered in a resurrected next near the gravesite for a half hour afterwards so those attending could give Draco, his children, and Astoria's parents and sister their condolences. Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, and Pansy Parkinson arrived, Pansy and Daphne dissolving into sobs upon sight of one another as Theodore and Blaise gave Draco each a brief hug as their own parents were hugging Astoria's parents and exchanging words with Lucius prior to the funeral beginning.<p>

Sitting in front of the coffin, flowers draping the lower half as the top half stayed open as it hovered with magic over its final resting place, Draco had Claire sitting on his lap and Anya sitting to his left, leaning against him as her arm linked with his. His mother-in-law sat to her right, holding Scorpius until he spotted Ginny standing with her family behind Draco and his daughters. Helena tried not to look offended and Ginny tried to look remorseful as Scorpius reached for the redheaded witch, but if it kept him content during the service, Helena gave into her grandson's request.

Minister Shacklebolt offered to officiate the ceremony when he heard of the news, and Draco graciously took him up on the request. The Minister knew Astoria from various work functions, and it was better than having someone who didn't really know her running the service. His words were heartfelt and genuine as he spoke of Astoria - his secret weapon when planning the holiday gala at the Ministry, which no one was aware of until the words left his lips. The thought made Draco laugh, the mental image of Astoria running through meetings of things needed with a man would could have probably cared less. Though as he thought about how lavish the holiday gala usually was, it made all the more sense as to why it was not only Astoria's favorite party, but how well put together it all was. He talked about the children and that he was certain she would watch over them as they went through life, noting that their potential for greatness was endless and how they would always carry their mother in their hearts wherever they found themselves.

Daphne let out a few loud, shrill sobs as she sat between her father and Pansy, letting Pansy hold her as she dabbed her tears with a handkerchief. Claire's lip would quiver and Anya's grasp on her father's arm would tighten with every sob that slipped from Daphne's mouth. Draco wanted to lean over and tell her to shut it, but today was different. Despite his strong desire to do so, he resisted the urge to tell his sister-in-law how to grieve. He had yet to determine if she was actually emoting feelings or doing this for attention, but he didn't necessarily care, either. He just wanted this to be over.

At the end of Kingsley's speech, he asked that the family come up and say their final goodbyes. Astoria's parents went first, along with Daphne. Helena Greengrass had managed to keep it together up to that point, having to be pulled away by Lloyd who had his wife on one arm, his now hysterically sobbing daughter on his other. Draco stood up, gently placing Claire on the ground as Anya stood up with him. He pulled out the letters his children wrote to Astoria and handed them to the girls as he turned to face Ginny.

"Come on," he whispered to Scorpius as his voice cracked. "We need to say goodbye to Mummy."

"Mummy bye?" Scorpius asked.

Draco nodded, kissing his cheek as Ginny handed him over. Together, the four of them walked up to Astoria, Draco having to repeatedly remind himself to breathe. He watched as Claire wiped her tears away with a mitten-clad hand, placing her card in the coffin. "She looks like she's sleeping," Claire mumbled through her sniffle.

"She looks…peaceful…" Anya whispered, placing her card on top of Claire's. It was all she could say before the flood of tears poured out of her eyes, her shoulders shaking as she tried her best to stay silent. It was too much though, and before she could stop, a loud cry cut through the service and Draco quickly wrapped an arm around Anya, keeping her from falling to the ground as he held onto Scorpius with the other.

He did everything he could think of to try and calm Anya down at that moment, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do while holding Scorpius. "It's going to be ok," he whispered fiercely in her ear. "Shhh…it's ok, sweetheart. Everything will be alright."

Anya only cried harder at his words as Claire hugged her as tight as her little arms could muster. Draco looked over his shoulder at Harry, who excused himself as he took Teddy with him through the small gathering of people behind the row of chairs. Teddy took Scorpius from Draco, along with Claire as they walked away towards the tent that had been resurrected for those attending the service after the burial. Harry rubbed Anya's back gently as Draco peeled his arm away from her. Anya's sobs were nearly overwhelming, and without thinking, Harry picked Anya up as he did on the nights she fell asleep at his house, carrying her towards the tent as she sobbed her tears into his chest.

His children gone, he stood over Astoria, noticing how they altered her appearance with magic so that she looked as she did before the cancer - her hair long and black, her high cheekbones dusted pink. Anya was right - she did look peaceful - and that alone almost made him feel better. Leaning down, he lightly pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Thank you," he spoke quietly into her ear. "For showing me what I wasn't willing to admit. I love you, Tori."

He wiped the dampness from his eyes as he stood back up, startled to find his father standing next to him. "Come, Draco," Lucius spoke, his voice without it's usual gruff.

Blinking back the tears that he made sure didn't spill down his cheeks, he gave his father a curt nod and walked away from the coffin, not even bothering to wait up for his father. He couldn't pick and choose when to be a parent, and even if Lucius had that sort of power, Draco wasn't granting it to him today.

Everyone gave Draco's family a few minutes of privacy before they came into the tent, warming up as they passed along their condolences.

"Sorry, mate," Blaise said, approaching Draco and giving him a hug. "What a rotten situation."

"That's one word for it," Draco replied, releasing the hug. "But knowing she isn't suffering anymore helps," he added. "Once she stopped treatment it was just…fast. Too fast."

Theodore nodded over in the direction of Harry and Ginny, who stood with his children and theirs as they sat at a table. Claire sat on Teddy's lap as they played a somewhat sullen game of exploding snap with Albus. Anya and James sat next to each other, James leaning back in his chair as Anya leaned against him, her head on his chest as she clutched a tissue in her hand. "I noticed Potter was invited."

Draco nodded. "We work together, and our children are friends."

"The older Potter boy and Anya were born on the same day, right?" Blaise remembered.

"Yes," Draco replied. "They're like oil and water depending on the day, but they're friends."

Blaise laughed. "Who would've thought we'd ever live to see the day where Potters and Malfoys could co-exist peacefully?"

Draco rolled his eyes as Theodore awkwardly laughed along with Blaise. Blaise went to Italy after the war, living the life of a bachelor in a villa with a great view of the Mediterranean, working as a liaison between the British and Italian Ministries of Magic. He and Pansy had been dating since the one-year anniversary of the war. No one was really sure how Pansy felt about the topic of marriage, but Blaise grew up with a woman who seemed to marry men for sport, turning him off to the whole concept. Draco wasn't even sure how faithful the two of them were to each other, as Pansy spent her free time gallivanting with Daphne and whatever man she managed to sucker into dating her at that time - but he didn't ask questions. He knew they'd lived together the moment they started dating, and that when events and galas were held, the two attended together. Theodore on the other hand kept to himself, a master of potions with a talent that would make Severus Snape beam with pride. He taught potions at Hogwarts, keeping to himself just like his former head of house used to do. When Blaise was in town, he'd manage to drag Theodore out of his home and into the real world, but Theodore wasn't big on large, social gatherings.

"So, is the rumor true?" Blaise asked as some of Astoria's extended family gave Draco his condolences and walked over to Helena and Lloyd.

Draco shrugged. "Depends on the rumor."

Blaise smirked. "Well, I wasn't sure, since I don't see her…but Pansy was going on and on the other night about Astoria losing her mind and asking Hermione Granger of all people to help you raise the children."

"Well…it's not a rumor," Draco clarified. "It's true - a plan masterminded by Astoria herself. Besides - it isn't like Granger hasn't been there in some capacity from the beginning. She was always around Potter and his kid when he was first born…Astoria as well when she would spend time with Ginny while I was out with Potter on missions."

Theodore looked at his childhood friend with a nod. "She mentioned something about Granger helping her over summer holiday to improve her potion skills - which are leaps and bounds from what they were last year. Anya keeps this up – she'll do quite well on her OWLs in two years."

Draco had forgotten all about Hermione helping Anya improve her potion skills over the summer, while he went with Astoria all over the European continent visiting healers and doctors in hopes they'd find an answer for her persistent illness. Anya came home that summer, over dramatically stating that she was going to ruin the Malfoy name with her inability to brew something as simple as a Hair-Raising Potion. Hermione, however, promised to tutor her and clearly her efforts paid off. Draco wanted to be the one to help her, being quiet adept at potions himself, but he wanted a cure for Astoria, and he needed to do everything he could.

"I couldn't believe it when I saw in _The Daily Prophet_ when Granger and the Weasel split," Blaise said with a snort. "What a daft idiot. Not that I ever had a chance in hell with her, but I know that if Granger wanted to spend the rest of her life with me, I certainly wouldn't have thrown it away for someone as utterly annoying as Lavender Brown."

"Well, he's not exactly a model of brilliance, is he?" Draco drawled. "He was an idiot in school and he's an idiot now."

Blaise clapped a strong hand on his shoulder. "Heads up - Pansy and Daphne are headed over."

He looked up and saw the two women walking towards him, their arms linked and eyes red. Blaise opened an arm up to Pansy, who tucked into him as he kissed her forehead. "Draco, I'm so sorry," Pansy said, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief."

Draco nodded. "Thanks, Pans. I appreciate it."

"I spoke with the girls earlier," Pansy said. "They seem to be holding up well…all things considered."

"It's been an emotional week for them, but they'll be alright. They're surrounded by people who love them - and that will make all the difference," he said, echoing Hermione's previous statements.

Daphne glared at him. "Are you saying that my sister didn't love them?"

"Are you daft?" Draco shot back. "Of course I didn't say that - in fact - it was your sister who made sure your nieces and nephew would be loved and cared for!"

"There's no way my sister made that decision with a sound mind!" Daphne hissed. "She would have wanted us to keep the family together!"

"Daphne," Blaise interjected. "Don't do this. Don't do this here - not today."

Draco was an inch away from popping a valve in Daphne's direction when Anya approached. "Dad, I don't feel well," Anya said. "My head hurts and it's making me feel ill."

He reached out to her, feeling her cheeks and her forehead with the back of his hand, just as Hermione and Ginny always did. "You do feel warm," he said, noticing her slightly flushed cheeks. He excused himself from the adults and walked with Anya over towards Ginny and Harry, who were sitting with the rest of the kids. "Would you mind terribly taking the children back to the mansion?" he asked them. "I have to stay a bit longer. Granger had to run some errands, so if she isn't back already, she will be shortly."

"No!" Claire exclaimed. "I don't want to go if you aren't going!"

"I want you to come too, Dad," Anya mumbled as she leaned against him.

Draco sighed, dragging a hand down his face. The attendees in the tent were starting to dwindle, but he didn't want to be disrespectful to Lloyd and Helena. "Sit next to James," he said to Anya. "Let me go talk to your grandparents and see if they'll mind if we leave."

Anya nodded, sitting back down next to James as she leaned her head against his shoulder as Draco made his way towards his in-laws. Ginny stood up from the table and walked over to Anya, cupping her cheeks in her hands as she pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Did anyone from your house return to Hogwarts ill?" she asked.

"No," Anya mumbled.

"It's probably just today," Harry said, bouncing Scorpius on his knee. "I had the same feeling when Sirius died." He looked over and saw Draco exchanging words with Lloyd and Helena, motioning back towards where they were all sitting. It appeared as if Lucius, who was standing next to Lloyd, tried to speak but Draco cut him off with a glare. Finally, Lloyd appeared to give Draco his blessing as Helena wept, leaning on Lucius for support. "Probably best if Draco gets out of here anyway…" he mused out loud.

"Teddy?" Claire asked, sitting on his lap as she looked up at him. "You don't have a mummy either, right?"

Teddy's hair turned Weasley red as he grinned. "I have two Mummies, actually. I have a mummy in heaven, like yours, and I have Ginny. I have two dads - my dad in heaven and Harry."

Claire sighed, leaning her head into his chest. "If you have two Mummies, does that mean you don't miss the mummy in heaven?"

"I miss her," Teddy said quietly. "But it's different in the way you'll miss your mummy. I was a baby when my mum died so I don't remember her in the way you'll remember and miss your mum. I don't have any memories of my parents the way you'll have memories of your mum."

"Aunt Hermione wouldn't let you stop missing your mum," Albus chimed in. "Aunt Hermione always knows how to keep track of the important stuff. That's what Dad says, anyway."

Anya looked over at Claire, swallowing hard as she was doing her best to quell the queasy feeling in her stomach. James looked down at her, concerned at her general appearance. "You don't look well," James stated.

"I feel like I'm going to vomit," Anya said, speaking carefully.

"Ok -" was all James could get out before Anya suddenly lunged her body across his lap, vomiting all over the ground and part of his shoes. As his mother quickly rushed back over to her, James gathered Anya's hair away from her face and as she finished emptying the contents of her stomach on the ground as those still passing along their condolences stared. As she stopped, still laying across his legs facing the ground, he gently patted her back. "Feel better?"

Anya threw up again. "Yes," she replied, catching her breath before throwing up again.

* * *

><p>Hermione didn't need to pack up her entire condo - just the essentials until things calmed down a bit. Rooting around in her closet for her beaded bag, she loaded it up with the contents of her bathroom, her work wardrobe, and various other pieces of clothing, shoes, and a stack of books heavily favored by Hermione as evidence by the deep creases in the binding on the spine. She plucked a few photos off of her fireplace mantle to set in her room, food for Crookshanks along with his bedding and litter box, and Crookshanks himself. Holding him close, she scratched his head as he purred loudly.<p>

"We're going to go live with Draco and the children," she whispered in his ear, nuzzling her nose into his cheek. "And Claire is very excited about you sleeping in her room so be a good kitty." She doubted Crookshanks understood a word of what she said, but she figured she'd give it a go regardless. Her bag hanging from her shoulder, Hermione held Crookshanks tightly against her chest with one arm as she grabbed a handful of floo powder, shouting her destination before disappearing into the flames.

As she appeared in the mansion, she found herself in Draco's study instead of flooing into the downstairs living room. "That's odd," Hermione said, looking around his study. Crookshanks meowed in agreement as he too craned his neck up, taking in his new surroundings as well. She walked past his desk, paperwork neatly stacked in piles as a few photo frames lined the edge. One of them that caught her eye had her in it, smiling and laughing with the children as they waved to the camera. Scorpius wasn't quite a year old, as it was taken last fall on Hermione's birthday at her parents' house.

Lingering in his study a bit longer, surveying the stacks of books on the shelves, Hermione walked out into the hallway, trotting down the small set of stairs onto the second floor and made her way to Claire's room. Placing Crookshanks down, Hermione removed his bed from her bag and transfigured it into a stuffed throne so that it matched her princess decorum and set his bed next to hers. Hermione placed her school supplies on her desk and walked out of the room, leaving Crookshanks to explore on his own.

Her confrontation with Ron was lingering in the back of her mind, though it wasn't nearly as awful as it was when she ran into him in Flourish and Botts. She was proud that she handled herself better, and didn't completely lose her cool when he tried to 'warn' her about Draco. Ron never could move out of the past and Hermione always told him back when they was together that it would be his biggest downfall. His inability to move out of the past always caused the majority of their fights.

"_I just don't understand why they even have to even invite the git! He's a bloody death eater for Merlin's sake!" _

_Hermione snapped tape out of the dispenser forcefully as she finished wrapping up James' birthday present. "First off - the party is for both James and Anya. Second - Draco was forced into becoming a death eater and third - let it go! The children are turning five today and it would be nice if you could go and not go completely mental and make a scene!" _

"_Whatever, Hermione," Ron groused. "Harry and you can chat him up all you want - he's still a bloody git." _

"_The only person I see acting like a 'bloody git' here is you!" _

By the time she had herself unpacked in her bedroom, she heard sounds of people from downstairs. She thought Draco and the kids would have been gone a bit longer, but as she heard Scorpius squealing, she smiled and made her way downstairs. What she wasn't expecting to find was Draco meeting her as he walked through the front door, carrying a half asleep Anya as Harry followed with a sleeping Claire. Ginny was already inside with her children and Scorpius, peeling Scorpius' winter weather apparel away. "Where's Lily?" Hermione asked.

"Mum and Dad's," Ginny replied. "She wanted to go, but she's too little to understand."

"You missed it!" Albus interrupted. "Anya threw up! Twice! And it got on James' shoe!"

Harry gave his son a look while Ginny gave him a light smack upside the head. "That is nothing to cheer about, Albus," Ginny scolded.

Hermione looked at Draco as he carried Anya up the stairs towards her bedroom, Harry following behind him with Claire. "She threw up?"

"Yeah," James replied. "She was really upset, Aunt Hermione. I've never even seen her so…I mean, Dad had to carry her away from the casket."

"She was a mess," Teddy agreed, pulling his knit hat - a Molly Weasley original - from his head and sighed. "I didn't even know Anya could cry."

"Shut it, Teddy," James spat.

"Boys!" Ginny warned, looking at the two. Sighing, she looked over at Hermione and plastered a smile on her face. "Harry thinks she just worked herself up. She didn't feel too warm, so I don't think it's anything serious."

Hermione frowned, bending down to pick up Scorpius. He kissed her cheek and hugged her, and Hermione returned the hug as his head rested on her shoulder. "How did Claire do?" she asked Ginny.

"She was upset," Ginny replied. "But she did alright."

Nodding, Hermione sat down on the couch, tucking her legs up underneath her as James took a seat next to her. She plucked off his hat as he leaned against her, just like he'd do when he was little. Playing with his unruly raven locks, slightly curling on the ends as he was in need of a haircut, she felt him sigh. "You alright?" she asked.

James nodded, playing with his hat now sitting in his lap. "I just feel bad for Anya. Claire and Scorpius too…but Anya just…the first night we were back at Hogwarts she…she just wanted her mum to love her and once she got it…"

"I know," Hermione replied, hugging an arm around his shoulders as Ginny watched, sitting crisscrossed on the floor in front of them with the coffee table between them. "She'll be alright, James."

"Mum," Teddy said, speaking to Ginny. "Do you want me to floo Albus and I over to Grandma Molly's? I'm sure Grandpa can take me back to Hogwarts."

Ginny arched an eyebrow at Teddy. "Itching to go back to school, are we?"

Teddy shrugged. "I have OWLs to study for -"

"And Victoire to snog!" Albus sang with glee, as Teddy's cheeks turned as red as his hair. "Teddy and Victoire sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I- ow!" He yelped, as Ginny swatted him upside the head with a newspaper she took from the coffee table. "Mum!"

"I don't know what's gotten into you today, Albus Severus Potter, but I would like you to return to your quiet and thoughtful self," Ginny warned. "And Teddy - if you want to go back to _study_, I most certainly won't stop you. But I better see some stellar grade reports come May."

Teddy gave her a mock salute. "Yes, Ma'am. Come on, Al. Let's go see if Grandma will make us some treacle tarts before I have to go back."

"Ok," Albus replied, hopping off of the chair. "Sorry for teasing you."

Teddy snorted, pulling his brother's hat on his head with a bit of gusto. "Please. I think I can take a bit of ribbing from the likes of you, Al."

Ginny blew them each a kiss as Teddy walked Albus towards the fireplace, hands on Albus' shoulders while playfully shaking him as they walked. "I don't know what I did to deserve three boys," Ginny facetiously scoffed. "Thank God Harry gave me a daughter. If I had to put up with the three of you I'd have lost my mind by now."

James sat up a bit and stuck his tongue out at his mother. "You could have stopped after me," he teased.

"But then I wouldn't have Albus - and he's my favorite."

"Hey!" James exclaimed. "That hurts!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You know I'm merely joking."

"She isn't," James said, mocking indignation laced in his words as he spoke to Hermione. "Everyone knows she likes Albus the best because he looks the most like Dad."

"He does have that going for him," Hermione teased. "But that doesn't matter - because you have your father's heart, and that's makes you my favorite."

James smirked as Hermione plucked his chin. "You're just saying that because I liked to watch movies and eat ice cream with you when Uncle Ron moved out."

"You were much better company, too," Hermione replied.

"I am," James agreed with a Harry Potter like smirk.

Scorpius crawled up onto the couch, with the help of James and Hermione. Standing up on Hermione's lap, he pointed towards the staircase as his grey eyes lit up. "Kitty! Miny! Kitty!"

Hermione turned around and saw Draco and Harry walking back downstairs, Draco carrying an awake Claire while Harry carried Crookshanks. "Scorp, did you just say my name?" she asked, tickling his belly as he giggled.

"Miny!" he repeated, clapping his hands to her cheeks. "Miny kitty!"

"Claire woke up the moment I laid her down," Harry explained, dropping Crookshanks into Hermione's lap as Scorpius made himself a seat between James and Hermione.

Draco sat down in a chair adjacent to the couch, leaning back as Claire made herself comfortable in his lap. "He was sleeping in my room, Hermione!" Claire exclaimed. "I think he might sleep there all the time!"

Hermione grinned. "You never know. He has a mind all to himself."

"Kitty hug!" Scorpius said, leaning over the patient cat and hugging him tight. "See Daddy? See kitty?"

"Yes Scorp," Draco drawled, petting the top of Claire's head as she leaned into him. "I see the mangy thing."

"Hey!" Hermione exclaimed. "What I have I told you about Crookshanks!"

"Yeah, yeah," Draco muttered, closing his eyes.

She couldn't help but notice how tired Draco looked. Hermione was certain that the stress and exhaustion wasn't good for him, but she knew it all stemmed from worrying about the children. "Did you check to see if Anya had a fever again when you laid her down?"

He nodded, his eyes still closed. "She seemed alright."

"She was just worked up," Harry added, looking around the room. "She'll feel better when she wakes up. Gin - where are the boys?"

"Teddy flooed back over to Mum and Dad's with Al. He wanted to get back to Hogwarts to _study_ for his OWLs."

Harry smirked, as did Draco with his eyes still closed. "Studying," Draco snarked. "Isn't he snogging Bill's oldest?"

"Every chance he gets," James said with an eye roll. "I tried telling him not to - she's practically his cousin too - but he said that practically isn't the same as blood."

Draco snorted as Harry stifled a laugh. "Should've been a Slytherin," Draco mused.

* * *

><p>When Anya woke up, she rubbed her eyes until they burned, blinking them into focus. She couldn't believe her clock as the red numbers glowed. 8:42pm. She threw her covers off of her climbed out of bed, peeling her black dress up over her head, she threw it in the corner of her room, never wanting to see it again. Her legs itched from sleeping under the warm covers in her tights, scratching her thighs as she pulled the tights off, tossing them into the corner along with the dress. Her chest hurt every time she took a breath, reminding her that she threw up her breakfast at her mother's funeral service while she threw on a long sleeved pajama shirt and a pair of pajama pants printed with candy canes.<p>

She walked into the hallway, hearing the sounds of James parents talking to her dad and Hermione. Walking past Claire's room, she peeked through the cracked door and saw her fast asleep in bed, with Crookshanks curled up on the pillow next to her head. Anya continued her trek downstairs, finding the adults and James sitting in the living room, Harry and Hermione laughing about something she was certain had to do with a story from their own Hogwarts days.

Hermione saw her first, sitting on the couch with her father who was nursing a glass of firewhiskey. "Anya! You're awake!"

Nodding, Anya stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. She looked over at the other couch and saw Harry and Ginny sitting together, while James sat by himself in the large wingback chair. "You aren't at school?" she questioned.

James shook his head no, straightening up in his seat a little bit. "Figured I'd make sure you were alright, considering you yakked on my favorite pair of trainers."

"Shove it," Anya retorted, her voice without her usual malice when making such flippant remarks. "Be glad it was your hideous shoes and not your lap."

"Yes," James agreed "Thank you for not vomiting into my lap. That I never would have let you live down."

"Can we please stop talking about vomit?" Draco asked, a bit wearily as he attempted a smirk. "Are you hungry at all?" he asked Anya. "I'm sure Harby can warm something up for you."

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

Hermione stood up from the couch, walking over to her. She pressed her hands to Anya's cheeks, then another to her forehead as Ginny and her father had done earlier that day. "Just making sure you didn't have a fever," she said, kissing her forehead. "You'd been asleep for so long, I thought you'd come down with something."

Anya shook her head. "It was just…overwhelming." She whispered the last part, ducking her head slightly as wisps of her long black hair fell in front of her face. "I though Grandma Jean and Grandpa Richard were coming."

"They were," Hermione said. "They left after Claire and Scorpius went to bed. Mum and Dad said they'll come by tomorrow to see you."

She nodded, holding the ends of her sleeves in the palms of her hands. "Maybe I'll have some tea…with some honey in it?"

Hermione nodded. "I'll go get you some."

"Granger - an elf can get her some tea," Draco interjected.

Anya and Hermione looked at her father. "I'm perfectly capable of brewing a pot of tea, thank you very much."

Draco sighed as Harry and Ginny laughed. "Listen - you're new in the house - and I'm telling you that if you go in there and start touching Vexo's things he is going to try and beat you with the teapot so save yourself the trouble, Hermione, please, and just ask Harby to fetch it for Anya."

"Did you just call her Hermione?" Anya questioned.

"What?" Draco asked, downing the rest of his drink.

"Just then," Anya pressed. "You called her Hermione. You never call her Hermione."

"She has a point, Malfoy," Harry added with a smirk, holding his own glass of firewhiskey.

Draco looked at Hermione, and she looked back, a glance that didn't go unnoticed by Anya before he spoke. "Oi! Lay off, Potter - I've been drinking for the past few hours. Harby!"

Harby appeared in the living room, holding his hands in anticipation as he addressed Draco. "Yes, Master? What can Harby do for Master Draco?"

He nodded at this daughter. "Anya would like some tea, please."

"With honey?" Harby asked. "Harby knows Miss Anya always likes a spot of honey in her tea."

"Yes, please," Anya replied. "Thanks."

The elf disappeared and Anya looked at her father for a moment as Hermione went and sat back down, putting a little bit more space between them than there was when she came into the room. Yawning again, she walked over to James' chair, grabbing her father's wand off of the end table and aiming it at the chair, widening it enough for two. "Anya Katherine!" Draco screeched. "I'm going to get another goddamn letter and to do that in front of Granger -"

"No you're not," Anya replied with an eye roll, dropping his wand back on the end table as she sat next to James. "That's why I used your wand. It won't register."

"How do you even -"

"I read it in a book," Anya clarified.

Draco groaned as Hermione laughed. "She's right," Hermione added. "I take it you stumbled upon _Quirks and Oddities of Wandlore_ in the library."

Anya nodded as Harby appeared with a teacup and saucer in hand. "Thanks, Harby," she said, taking the saucer from his hand.

"Harby is most welcome," Harby replied before disappearing once more.

As the adults went back to their idle chitchat, Anya nudged James as she held her saucer in one hand and teacup in the other. Blowing on her tea, she took a sip and inconspicuously nodded in the direction of her father. "Have they been like that all night?" she whispered.

James shrugged. He hadn't really given it much thought. "They've sat like that since after dinner," he mumbled back. "But they've just been talking."

Anya took a sip of her tea, watching as her father leaned over to put his empty glass on the coffee table and when he retreated, he managed to scoot next to Hermione so that their legs were touching. "Look," she whispered. "He's practically on top of her."

"He's not practically on top of her," James whispered. "They aren't sitting any closer than we are."

"Uh, no, James," Anya countered. "Our legs aren't touching."

"They were on the train."

"Well of course they were touching - I was sleeping on you!" Anya exclaimed, catching the attention of each adult, now staring at the two of them.

James' face turned as red as it had ever been as Anya sat there, horrified at what came out of her mouth and how it sounded to their parents and Hermione. "James," Harry said, speaking carefully as Draco sat there, slack jawed.

"She…she fell, I mean, we were on our way to Hogwarts, and she fell asleep on me. Or on my shoulder…not really on me, because we were on a train, so we were still sitting up right and really only her head was touching me and please don't kill me Mister Malfoy," James rambled, wincing at the last part as Anya groaned.

"What, exactly, was touching what?" Draco asked, looking sternly at James.

"He already told you!" Anya said, not wanting to give her father the part of the conversation that caused the outburst. "My head. His shoulder. Duh."

"Oh leave them alone," Hermione shushed, leaning into Draco as she flashed him a smile. "I used to fall asleep on Harry when we were younger."

"Only because we were always up late researching whatever obscenely absurd task I'd been handed," Harry added with a rueful laugh.

Draco mumbled something under his breath but neither James nor Anya caught it.

"We ought to get going," Ginny said, standing to her feet. "I'm going to pick the kids up from Mum's in the morning, and maybe we'll come by after that?"

Draco nodded. "Sounds alright."

"Dad?" Anya quickly asked. "Can I spend the night at the Potter's?"

"Anya…" Draco said with a sigh. "Why can't you just sleep here?"

She finished her tea, James taking the dish from her and placing it on the coffee table. "I don't know if I'll be able to fall asleep here."

"You slept here just fine. For several hours, as a matter of fact," Draco countered.

Anya felt herself get teary eyed, which she tried to avoid while swallowing the lump in her throat. She didn't know how to tell her dad that she only snuck over to the Potter house when she wanted to escape her own house. It started when her parents would constantly fight and she couldn't ignore it from inside her room. It was where she wanted to go now, because before when she came home she was already asleep, but now, even though she slept and was still tired, her mind was on, and she wasn't sure she could shut it off here. So she resorted to her defense mechanism - which was a little bit of sass laced with defiance - and said, "You know I'll just sneak over there anyway. At least I'm asking this time."

Draco groaned, dragging his hands over his face. "Your sister is going to be upset if she wakes up and you aren't here."

"My sister is sleeping with a cat right now, who will be there when she wakes up. Trust me - she won't notice. I'll come back over by breakfast."

The father-daughter duo stared at each other for a moment, Anya refusing to cave while Draco was too tired to fight. "Is this alright with you, Potter?" he asked Harry.

Harry nodded. "She's always welcome. Is it alright with you?"

Draco sighed. "Be back here at eight o'clock sharp."

"Nine."

"Eight-thirty."

"Deal," Anya replied.

* * *

><p>Draco stood in the shower for what seemed like forever. The never-ending stream of hot water poured down his skin, teetering the edge of scalding as he braced his hands against the wall. He cried silently, not able to differentiate between the tears that came from his eyes and the water that poured from the showerhead. <em>All I wanted was a divorce<em>, he repeated to himself. He wanted an amicable divorce. He almost had an amicable divorce. But then Draco poured his soul into trying to save the one person he spent years trying to avoid, and he failed.

He couldn't save his children's mother any more than he could save his own.

He didn't blame himself for his mother's death. At least, he didn't anymore. After all, he wasn't the one who spent years defiling her with dark magic. That was done at the hands of Lucius, and while Draco blamed himself initially, he knew in the rational part of his mind that he did everything he could, even though he was only a boy. Draco didn't realize how much he missed his mother until Jean hugged him that night in her kitchen, giving him her condolences. If his mother had been alive, she would have given him the same sort of hug, the kind that touches a person's soul from their head to their toes.

Draco wished his mother was here so he could talk to her about Hermione. He wanted her perspective. He wanted her blessing. He wanted his mother to see how this girl he was raised to hate was the one person other than her that he could drop his guard down in front of and not feel ashamed, or be made to feel as if he was weak. Draco wanted his mother to tell him it was ok that he opened the box that he'd been keeping every thought and feeling about Hermione Granger - a box he'd kept a tight lid on for the past several years as their friendship evolved…a tight lid until now, anyway.

Wrenching the handles of the shower to shut the water off, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, wrapping it tightly around his waist. He snatched another off of the shelf, vigorously toweling his hair to a damp-dry state. Donning a thin white undershirt and a pair of boxers, he slipped his lambs wool slippers onto his feet and paddled down the hall, quietly checking in on his two younger children before knocking on Hermione's door.

"Come in," he heard her quietly call out.

He opened her door and found her sitting on the turned down bed, looking to her side as she read a book while lathering lotion into her legs, her hands dragging from her thighs to her feet as her fingers slid between her toes as she rubbed the lotion into her skin. It smelled fruity, but not in an overwhelming sort of way. "Care for some company?" he asked, closing the door behind him.

Hermione looked up at him and smiled, waving a hand over her book to turn the page. "Asking instead of skulking this time?" she teased.

"Don't act like us sharing a bed put you out," Draco mocked.

"It doesn't," Hermione nonchalantly replied, applying a dollop of lotion to her other leg, massaging it into her skin. She looked up at him, her damp hair tied up in a messy bun, wrinkling her nose as she itched it with the back of her lotion-covered hand. "Did you have a nice shower? I thought you'd drowned in there after a bit."

Draco snorted, walking over to the empty side of the bed and dropping with a plop. "If you were so concerned, why didn't you come in and rescue me."

"I said I thought," Hermione replied, rubbing the excess lotion into her hands and her arms. "I didn't say I was worried."

"Your concern - or lack thereof - is touching," Draco drawled, rolling onto his stomach, wrapping his arms around the pillow his head dropped down on. Sighing, he watched Hermione lean back against the headboard as she picked up her book, propping it up against her legs as she continued to read. "I see you're wearing real shorts tonight."

Hermione smirked. "I learned my lesson."

"I'm not opposed to you sleeping without pants," Draco said, plain as day. "In fact, I'm not opposed to you sleeping without apparel - especially when you're in such close proximity to me."

"I'm sure you aren't," Hermione said, a hint of blush tinting her cheeks. Finishing up the page she was reading, she dog-eared the top corner of the thin paper and closed the book, setting it on the nightstand. Her attention turned back to Draco, she let her fingers lightly drag through his hair. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there today," she whispered.

Draco nodded, sighing at her touch.

"You know I would've went if I could."

"I know."

She slouched down in the bed, lying on her side as her face was parallel with his. She moved her fingers through his hair, gently sliding them down until the crossed over, her hand now resting lightly on his cheek. "What are you thinking?" Hermione asked, her eyes boring into his.

He sighed, his eyelids fluttering shut for a moment before opening. "I didn't expect to feel this much," he said to her. "I was ready to divorce her and throw a party afterwards but when she told me she was sick I just…"

"Reinvested yourself?"

"In a way," Draco replied with a heavy sigh. "I just wanted to save her. We still had our problems, and we still fought over the same things and I knew we would part ways once she…once she got better but I needed her to get better. My children needed her to get better so I did everything I could and it just wasn't enough. It wasn't enough for my mother and it wasn't enough for Astoria…"

Hermione brushed a tear away from his the moment it escaped his eyelid. "It's not your fault," she whispered.

"I know," Draco replied. "I know it's not my fault. I just didn't think I'd feel it this much, you know?"

She nodded. "I'm not sure anyone knew what to expect today."

He sighed again, rolling onto his back as he pressed his forearms into his forehead. "Remember that night I saw you in the bar, the night the Weasel told you he knocked up that annoying twit?"

Hermione awkwardly chuckled. "Not exactly an unforgettable night, Draco."

"Sorry," he apologized. "But about six shots in, you looked at me and said you felt like a piece of you had died, and I remember nodding, but not really understanding. But I understand now and you were right - it sucks."

She gave him a sweet smile. "I might have been a little drunk and a bit overdramatic. You can't compare what I went through with Ron and what you went through with Astoria."

"I disagree," Draco countered. "You did everything you could for him and it wasn't enough. The daft idiot still left the best thing that could have ever happened to his sorry ass…and I did everything I could for Astoria. But at the end of the day, what you and I did wasn't enough, and the outcome is hard to swallow."

"It is," Hermione agreed. "And it takes awhile, but it does get better."

"It's better already," Draco confessed, looking directly at her. He reached an arm out, gently pulling her closer to him. "You make it better, Hermione. You make everything better. I don't know how…and I sure as hell don't know how to explain it, but you do."

Hermione leaned in, pressing her forehead to his, shivering slightly as she felt him breathing against her skin. "You make things better too," she confessed. "After Ron…you made things better. You and the children."

His lips found hers, hesitating for the briefest of seconds until she kissed him back. Moaning at his touch, she rolled onto her back as he hovered over top of her, just as they did in her childhood bedroom only this time he made no efforts to keep his distance. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, each time earning a moan or a grab as Hermione arched herself into him. Draco slid a hand underneath her tank top as her hands made their way under his shirt, her fingers kneading into his skin with each kiss.

"Draco," she whispered as his lips moved from her lips to her jawline. She could feel his growing arousal pressing into her thigh, her own body betraying her as she became increasingly turned on by his touch. "Draco…"

Tearing his lips from her neck, he looked up at her, both of their breathing labored as they stared at one another. "Sorry," he whispered.

Hermione leaned up towards him and kissed him on the lips, allowing him to pull gently against her bottom lip as she pulled away. "Don't be sorry," she said with a smile. "It's just not the right time."

He kissed her again before climbing off of her, dropping onto the bed next to her with a heavy sigh. Hermione sat up, goose bumps prickling her skin as she left Draco's touch to pull the blankets up and over them. Curling into his side, Draco pulled the blankets up over her bare shoulder as her head rested on his chest, her hand resting on his stomach. He felt her start to drape a leg over his when he suddenly stopped her. "You can't do that," he said. "At least…not at this moment."

She looked up at him and his somewhat strained face. "Oh…" she said, realizing what he was referencing. "Sorry about that."

"Eventually you're going to have to make it up to me," Draco said.

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Hermione replied with a smirk.

He kissed the top of her head and hugged her close. Reaching for Hermione's wand, he muttered _nox_ and the room went dark, leaving them alone to their thoughts before the exhaustion of the day's events lulled them into sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**This chapter has been a long time coming. Not that it was hard to write, necessarily, but I've been busy since moving back home. I was never into fan fiction really until I started writing _It's All Uncharted_ last September. I was finishing grad school and amazingly miserable living in Louisville. I loved my job but it wasn't enough. Fan fiction allowed me to start writing again, even if it's something I'd never thought of doing before, and it made me happier. There were days were posting a chapter was the best part of my day, and on my worst days, I'd get a review that made the day a little better. **

**And now I'm back home, where my family is closer, my friends are ten minutes away, and the social life I lacked for four years is back with a roar. Add this into acclimating into a new job and it makes my writing time sparse. However - things are settling down at work and at my new job and I foresee it to be rather calm until October, when recruitment season begins.**

**So I thank all of you - those that wait and wait for me to update as my updates have lost their once loved promptness. I thank you all of reading my stories and leaving fabulous comments, and I hope you enjoy this latest installment.**

**-Redhead414**

* * *

><p>Valentine's Day was this weekend, and Hermione had been wracking her brain for the past few days about what to do for Claire. The first week after Astoria's death, Claire seemed to be ok. She had her sad moments, of course, but her personality was unflappable as she was back in school, coming home every day with a new story. But the moment Anya left after that first week to return to her schooling at Hogwarts, the wheels slowly fell off the Claire wagon. She was weepy and pitiful in the morning, it took everything Hermione had to get her ready to go to school, and she had managed to test the limits of Draco's patience to a point that he didn't realize he could reach. Draco would go to bed every night frustrated, not knowing what to do for his youngest daughter as she requested that Hermione lay with her each night until she fell sound asleep.<p>

"Everyone's adjusting," Hermione would say to Draco when he found himself at his wits end. "She's just a little girl. She can't help how she processes her feelings."

He would always respond with a heavy sigh, as he knew all of this. He was just exhausted. He didn't know how Hermione was able to deal with everything and make it so easy. Harry would tell him that it was just the nature of Hermione. She was unflappable in times of chaos. Draco would find himself worrying more about her at times than his children, out of an irrational fear that she would reach a point where she couldn't take any more and leave. It made him feel vulnerable, despite her many assurances that she wouldn't leave.

The children tucked away in bed, Hermione made her way downstairs, book in hand as she planned to join Draco in the living room. A tapping noise in the kitchen caused a detour, as Hermione found the family owl, Sandal, sitting rather impatiently at the window. Opening the window quickly, the bird stepped in and exchanged the letter for some treats. Jumping up on the counter like a teenager, she popped open the letter and quickly scanned through the contents, the smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

It came to her through the grapevine about a year ago that the publishers of _A History of Magic_ were looking for someone to take over the long vacant role of Bathilda Bagshot. They wanted an updated version of the iconic book, complete with updates, additions, and one of the editors, Hannah Longbottom, thought that Hermione would be the perfect person to take on this role. She, of course, thought Hannah had lost her mind, but then Neville started in on her, and the more she heard about it, the more appealing it sounded. She loved her job at the Ministry. Her new role wasn't something she'd ever thought she'd enjoy doing, but she'd done all she could with her S.P.E.W. With her role in the Improper Use of Magic, she was content, but also knew it wasn't a job she could see herself doing for the rest of her career.

When Draco found Hermione sitting on the counter in the kitchen, her nose stuck in a piece of parchment, he noticed the smile. They'd been so busy lately, trying to keep some sense of normal for the two children at home and the one away at school that they hadn't had a single moment to even contemplate the two of them in the context of being together. They still shared a bed, Draco waking up in the morning first so that Claire didn't accidentally stumble in and find him with Hermione, but late, one was often asleep before the other one found the bedroom. As he caught the time, about three minutes 'til nine o'clock, he realized this was the first night in a while that the two of them managed to have the smaller children tucked away in bed without either one of them tethered to one of their rooms.

"Is that from Anya?" he asked, not recalling if he'd seen a letter from her today. She sent letters most days, though lately some of them had been for Hermione only. He tried to pry and see what it was that his eldest daughter was appearing to confide in Hermione, but her lips were locked. _You wouldn't understand_, Hermione would tease him. _You were never a teenage girl. Though if Claire were any proof - you would have made a pretty one._

It wasn't until he repeated the question that she noticed he was in the room, startling her. "Good God, Draco!" she exclaimed. "Wear a bell!"

He laughed. "So it isn't from Anya?"

She shook her head no. "She wrote earlier when you were giving Scorpius a bath. Her letter is on the counter."

"Is it one I can actually read?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, folding up the letter in her hands, still beaming. "Remember that day in the park last year, when I was telling you about Hannah's proposal regarding _A History of Magic?" _

He scrunched his face up, trying to think of whom he could possibly know with the name Hannah.

"Longbottom, Draco," Hermione said with a look. "Hannah Longbottom. Neville's wife."

"I would have come up with it eventually," he countered.

"Yes, but I wanted it to happen sometime this week," Hermione retorted. "Anyway, remember when we were talking -"

"Yes, yes," Draco said. "Something about her wanting you to fill Bagshot's role, and then you getting pissed at me when I told you that they'd never give it to you because you're a muggle."

Hermione stifled a snort as she thrust the letter in his direction. "Well guess what, Mister Know-it-All. You were wrong." She smirked with triumph, waiting for some sort of reaction - anticipating a congratulatory one - but all she got was a vacant stare. "Honestly? You're not going to say anything?"

He wasn't sure what to say. He searched the depths of his mind back to that day when this whole notion was discussed - the only time to his recollection - and heard her voice in his head. _But if I did it, I'd obviously have to quit my job at the Ministry_.

"You're really not going to say anything?" she asked, somewhat incredulously.

Draco didn't really think about what fell out of his mouth, as he heard himself speaking before he could stop. "You're leaving me."

Completely confused, Hermione hopped down from the counter and walked towards him, stopping as he instinctively took a step back. "Leaving you? What - what are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere."

"You can't do this…this book thing and work at the Ministry at the same time. You said so yourself. I remember," Draco said, his voice empty.

Hermione was having a hard time processing his train of thought, moving to speak twice before coming up with nothing. Collecting her thoughts, she held a hand up, opening and shutting her fingers before finally finding words. "Yes. I would leave my Ministry job if I took on this project. But I would be _leaving_ my job. I'm not leaving you."

"We wouldn't work together."

"We share a bed!" she exclaimed with a chuckle. "I wake up every morning with your hand up my shirt! You act as if we're never going to see each other!"

His jaw was set, locked in place as if his body was doing him a favor by keeping his mouth shut until he could think of something to say that wouldn't get him into trouble. Or, more trouble really. But what was he supposed to say? _ I don't want you to quit working because I like seeing you at work? _It sounded awful in his head, and he imagined it would sound pathetic out loud. It was the truth though. Over the years, Hermione's office had turned into his place of refuge. When she switched departments and moved into the office across from his - he was in her office all the time. She had a nice couch in there - it was a great napping couch, to be honest.

"Draco," he heard Hermione speak, her voice soft but commanding. "Draco…I honestly thought you'd be happy for me. It's an amazing opportunity and you even said that they'd never give it to me…but they did. And if it allows me to be home with the children..."

He roughly scratched the back of his neck as he did his best to keep his face neutral. Not that it mattered - he knew she saw right through it. "If it's what you want to do…" he finally spoke, keeping his voice even. "Then it's what you want to do."

Hermione narrowed her gaze at him as she perched her hands on her hips. "If it's what I want to do…then it's what I want to do," she repeated, each word pointed as she punctuated each syllable. "Your support is _overwhelming_. Absolutely overwhelming."

"Granger I -"

She cut him off by opening and closing her hand in his direction. "Do yourself a favor and just stop talking, because if you say one more thing, I swear you will be climbing out this hole for _weeks."_

He opened his mouth to say something, not that he was really sure of what something even was, but the glare on Hermione's face caused his mouth to shut. At this moment, silence was going to be his only ally.

Assuming she was going to be upset with him until he found a way to more appropriately explain to her why he didn't want her to quit the ministry, he holed himself up in his office for the remainder of the night, eventually falling asleep on the sofa next to the bookshelf.

* * *

><p>Everyone was excited about Hogsmeade this weekend. It seemed that all anyone could talk about was either Valentine's Day or the Spring Fling dance at the end of next month. Neither of which held any interest for Anya at this point, but if all the fluttering and twittering about Valentine's Day and the upcoming dance kept them from staring at her like she was going to spontaneously combust, Anya kept her head down and her mouth shut.<p>

She sat in the library on Saturday morning, working on her homework for that blasted Divination class when James spotted her sitting in the back, surrounded by books. Sitting down next to her, he peeked over at her paper, disgusted that she'd managed to write seven more inches than he did on a topic they both loathed. He nudged her with his shoulder.

"You aren't coming to Hogsmeade?" he asked.

Anya shook her head. "No. Elise and Jemma wanted me to go and look for dresses but…"

"Yeah," James replied, knowing that was something she was supposed to do with her mother. "But you know, there are other things in Hogsmeade. Maybe it would be good for you to get out. Get some fresh air."

Sighing, she shook her head no as she dipped her quill into the inkwell. "James…I would be awful company if I came."

"It's a good thing I'm used to the awful side of you then, isn't it," James replied, standing up as he stacked up her books, placing them in her backpack as she tried to protest. "You're coming. You didn't go in January, you spend more time in this library than you do anywhere else, and you could use a break."

She didn't want to go. Anya didn't want to be in a crowd, she didn't want people to talk to her, and she didn't want to pretend to feel happy and carefree when all she wanted to do was go to class, do her homework, and sleep - three things that were able to overwhelmingly distract her from the fact that her mother was gone, and the guilt she felt coming back to school as her sister sobbed and begged her not to leave.

"I'm stopping at Honeydukes to pick up a valentine for Lily and a chocolate frog for Al," James added. "I bet Claire would be excited to get a valentine from you."

Anya inhaled sharply and sighed heavily. "Fine," she said, standing up from the table. "But don't expect me to be all Suzie Sunshine today."

"Because there's other days where that's an acceptable expectation?" James asked, slinging Anya's satchel over his shoulder.

She rolled her eyes as he followed her out of the library. "I don't like you very much right now."

"Somehow, I think I'll survive."

* * *

><p>Valentines in hand, Claire stood in between Hermione and Draco as they walked up the front sidewalk to Jean and Richard's house, where the front door opened as they reached the porch. Scorpius squirmed in Draco's arms, lunging towards Jean as she took him, showering his cheeks with kisses while Richard shuffled everyone else inside. Harry and Ginny were already inside with Albus and Lily, who had been anxiously waiting for everyone to get there so they could start making cookies like they did every Valentine's Day.<p>

"Everyone's here!" Lily exclaimed as coats and scarves were shed. "Mummy! Can we makeded the cookies _now?" _

Ginny scooped up her redheaded mini-me and nodded. "Let everyone get settled and we'll get started."

Richard hung up everyone's coats, watching as Hermione greeted Ginny and Harry with a hug and a kiss. Draco didn't seem like himself, giving silent nods to those who acknowledged him. As the children scurried off towards the kitchen with Hermione and Ginny, Harry hung back, following as Richard motioned for the two of them to follow him to the garage.

"Unless of course you're really in the mood to bake cookies," Richard added.

"Absolutely not," Harry replied with a laugh as they walked down the hall to the garage entrance. "I only eat them. Come on Malfoy - to the Man Cave."

As the men retreated to the garage until the cookies were ready for sampling, Hermione and Ginny watched as Jean gave each of the kids a rolling pin and a small blob of sugar dough to roll out on the table. Scorpius sat on his knees, watching Al, Claire, and Lilly roll their dough out as if he was contemplating to attempt the same for a moment, until he decided to plunge his chubby hands into the dough instead with a squeal.

"Can I help you with that?" Hermione asked.

"No," Scorpius chirped.

"Please?" Hermione asked.

"Um…no."

The women laughed as they went about helping the other kids, using various heart shaped and alphabet shaped cookie cutters to carve into the dough once it was rolled out nice and smooth. The cutting out of the shapes was the easiest part, and also the most painful as the children were impatient as the cookies baked and cooled. Luckily, Jean had plenty of art supplies for the children to make whatever they wished to make in the meantime. Once the children busied themselves with crayons, scissors, and glue, Jean, Hermione, and Ginny sat around the kitchen island and watched.

"How's Claire been doing?" Ginny quietly asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Depends on the day I guess. She had a bad day at school yesterday." She didn't to divulge a lot of information with Claire in the room as to how she came home with a note from her teacher about how she verbally lashed out at a child. Of course, Hermione had been secretly relieved that it was verbal and not a case of accidental magic, as it would have been much more difficult to explain. Apparently, one of the children in her class told her she couldn't make a valentine for her mummy because you can't send mail to heaven. As Claire was telling the story, Hermione was waiting for Claire to follow up the story with the little brat telling her that Santa Claus was pretend.

"And Draco?" Jean asked with sincere curiosity. "He seemed a little bit unlike himself when he arrived."

Hermione shrugged again. "I don't know. I told him about the whole _History of Magic_ deal that the publishers want me to rewrite and update, and I thought that Draco of all people would be excited for me and instead he was…ridiculous…and completely unsupportive and I'm so…mad at him because that's not what I expected!"

Jean reached a hand over to her daughter's back and gave it a reassuring pat. "Sweetheart, I'm sure he was excited for you -"

"No, he wasn't," she said, cutting her mother off as she sighed. "He said, 'you're leaving me,' and it didn't matter how many times I said I wasn't leaving him, that's all he took away from it."

Ginny reached across the island and gave Hermione's hand a squeeze. "I will always think Malfoy is a bit of a twit - but Hermione - he cares about you. Even if he has a peculiar sort of way of showing it. I'm sure he's excited about this opportunity for you. I mean - a muggle-born witch to be allowed this sort of opportunity is just amazing! Harry is so proud of you, and I know my parents are proud as well. As am I, of course, being your best friend and all."

Hermione giggled as she squeezed Ginny's hand in return. "I didn't give much thought about being offered the job because I'm a muggle-born witch, but now the opportunity is mine and I just wanted him to be happy for me."

Jean nodded, understanding her daughter's feelings completely. "How are things with Draco other than this?"

"They're alright," Hermione, said quietly, watching as Albus helped Claire cut out hearts and stars while Lily and Scorpius colored. "I'm sure he'd like things to move more quickly, but the girls are so up and down and we're all trying to get used to everything and I'm afraid that by doing more, it will ruin everything."

"So does this mean that you're…together?" Ginny inquired as her voice dimmed to mouthing words.

"We sleep in the same bed every night," Hermione whispered. "I mean, I guess you could say we're…together. But it's by no means public information. The gossip about the two of us is more than enough to satisfy the nosy for the time being. But it's not like we ever sat down and said, 'yes, we're together.' It just sort of happened."

Ginny nodded, finishing her cup of tea so that she could pour another. "Well…maybe you should have that conversation."

* * *

><p>Draco sat silently in the lawn chair inside the garage, watching as Richard and Harry carried on, talking about some new piece of muggle technology that he knew nothing about while they waxed the car. He was certain there were enough layers of wax on Richard's restored car to last until the new millennium, but he wouldn't dare speak it out loud. He also wasn't sure if they were waxing or polishing, as there was apparently a difference when it came to cars. All he knew how to do was polish a broomstick, and he hadn't done that since his days playing quidditch. He couldn't even remember the last time he was on a broom, now that he gave it a good thought. Anya wasn't that into quidditch or flying, and he figured Claire would be similar in that regard. Scorpius was his only hope in having a child who shared his love for the game.<p>

He started to think about Hermione, and how he was going to fix this mucked up situation. Draco was certain by the look on her face this morning when she inquired as to where he slept that she was still upset, and not coming to bed didn't help matters. He didn't really intent to sleep in his study - it just happened. Besides - how was he supposed to know she wanted to sleep next to him after the death glare she gave him in the kitchen? He wasn't a mind reader, after all.

"Draco?"

He snapped his attention in the direction of Richard, who was standing at the outside fridge. "Do you want a drink?"

He quickly shook his head. "No…no thanks. I'm fine."

"Suit yourself," he replied, grabbing a beer for himself and one for Harry. "Tell me - how is Anya doing up at school?

"Alright," he replied. "A friend of mine from school - the potions teacher - he sends me updates. Says she's quieter than normal but her studies aren't suffering."

Harry nodded, taking a drink. "James says they've been spending more time together. Something about her friends getting on her nerves."

Having met her little girlfriends, Draco could sympathize greatly. The level of annoying that Elsie and Jemma could reach made anything that Daphne and Pansy ever did look like child's play. "Anya may have mentioned that once or twice in one of her letters. I'm uh…I'm glad she and James are getting along better at school."

Chuckling, Harry threw his rag in the bin and took a seat on the garage steps leading up to the house. "I'll have to tell James you nearly paid him a compliment, Malfoy."

Draco mockingly rolled his eyes. "Contrary to popular belief, I do like your son, and have for a lot longer than I've learned to tolerate you, Potter."

"Wow. That was so…touching," Harry teased as Draco gave him the finger.

Richard laughed at the exchange, shaking his head as the two former enemies taunted each other. Taking a seat in the empty chair next to Draco, he plopped his bottle of beer in the cup holder on the chair and arched an eyebrow in his direction. "So what did you do?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's obvious my daughter is right pissed at you," Richard said with a laugh. "So what did you do?"

"I…I didn't…what even makes you think I even did anything?"

Harry cut of Draco's stuttering with a snort. "Hermione does this thing when she's angry - she essentially avoids the person she's pissed and blatantly ignores them when they're in the same room. I've seen her do it to Ron I don't know how many times."

Draco made a face. "Don't put that nitwit and I in the same category, Potter. Not if you know what's good for you."

"Well then, what did you do?" Harry asked.

Sighing, he dragged a hand down his forehead and over his nose as he began to recant the evening's events, his tone bland and matter of fact as he spoke of Hermione leaving her job at the ministry to become the newest contributor to the longstanding _A History of Magic _publication. "I told her if it's what she wanted to do then she should do it."

Richard smirked. "Was that before or after your remarks about her leaving the Ministry?"

Scowling, Draco rolled his eyes. "After."

Sympathetic to Draco's plight, Richard gave Draco a reassuring look. "Jean and I, when she started talking all this rubbish about working less and transitioning to retirement - I thought she was right barmy. We're not that old, we both love are careers, and I can't imagine retiring in the imminent future. But she's ready. She wants to travel and spend time with your kids and Harry's kids and sew quilts -"

"Quilts?" Harry asked.

"I don't even know, Harry," Richard said with exasperation. "She bought this large, blasted machine to sew quilts because she's decided this will be a new hobby of hers. I find no use in owning more than one quilt, of course, but she seems to think she can make them for others and since she keeps her mouth zipped about my car hobby, I'm choosing to do the same. Though between you and me - I think there are far more exciting hobbies than sewing oversized blankets."

Draco laughed as Harry smirked, raising an eyebrow as a silent agreement.

Richard took a sip of his beer before setting it down on the concrete ground of the heated garage. "I was upset with Jean when she said she wanted to slowly phase out of the practice. I love being a dentist, but what I love most is that I get to do something I love with the person I love every day. I didn't want to lose that."

Taking a sudden interest in the cuff of his long sleeved shirt, Draco flicked a thumb against his cufflink. "I don't work with Granger though."

"But your offices are across the hall from each other. And if you aren't in her office, you're hiding from her in _my_ office," Harry pointed out. "It's a bit irritating, really. And just think about how much work you'll get done without her there because you won't be hiding from her?"

Shrugging, he kept his focus on the cufflinks, a silver monogrammed set he got from Astoria for his birthday the first year that they were married. _I may as well get you something useful,_ he could hear her voice speak in his head, remembering what she said as she passed him the pristinely wrapped gift at dinner. "I'm happy for her…it really is a great opportunity. I'm sure the children will enjoy her working from home as well."

Leaning forward, Richard rested his arms on the tops of his thighs, his hands clasped together. "Draco, can I ask you a question?"

Draco looked up at him, unsure of what he could possibly ask him "Yes."

"Why don't you just tell her you have feelings for her?" Richard sincerely asked. "Feelings beyond friendship? That is, of course, if I'm making a correct assumption."

He wasn't sure if his face could pale anymore than it already was, but he felt his words catch in his throat for a moment. Draco didn't have a good answer. Or at least, he didn't think it was a good answer. It took him months after his arranged marriage to Astoria to utter the worlds "I love you," and it took several months after that for the phrase to have meaning instead of it being some sort of obligatory statement. It didn't take him long to unlock the box that he'd packed away his feelings for Hermione in, going back to about six months after her divorce to Ron. He was still married, she was an emotional wreck, and he was trying to process how to exist in a world where he and Hermione Granger were more than just work acquaintances. When Draco found that place, the line where friendship and flirting met, he was always conscious of his actions, only dropping his guard when they were alone - his late night rendezvous to her condo when he couldn't sleep being one of those instances.

"You know, Malfoy, she feels the same way," Harry added.

"How would you know?" Draco asked, somewhat defensively. "Last I checked being a mind reader wasn't in the Chosen One's repertoire.

Harry laughed. "I've been her best friend since we were eleven. I can read Hermione Granger like a book. She's practically my sister. I can't say I've always been your biggest fan, but you've been good for her these past few years. You've helped her more than any of us could after the whole Ron debacle."

Fiddling with the cufflink on the other sleeve, Draco sighed quietly.

"Ron…he wasn't the most supportive person, you know. He's quick to be jealous and Hermione's so brilliant at so many things that if and when something like this would happen for Hermione, he'd be quick to make a side comment about how 'of course she'd get this opportunity' and 'the world _loves _Hermione Granger," Harry added. "Even when we were in school. I never understood her infatuation with someone who could belittle her brilliance so quickly."

"I wasn't meaning to belittle her brilliance," Draco stated. "I just wasn't expecting it. She spoke of this one time, and then quickly brushed it aside as if it was a whim. Of course I think she should do it. She'd be mental not to."

Richard smirked. "Best you tell her then. The sooner the better, in your case. My princess can hold a grudge with the best of them. She learned this from the best."

"Her mother?" Draco questioned.

"No - me."

* * *

><p>James offered an arm to Anya, which she accepted as the two meandered their way down to Hogsmeade, trailing behind the hoards of students eager to get there. As the cool February air swept across her face, she inhaled deeply and realized James was right - a bit of fresh air was probably going to do her some good. She was quiet on they way to Hogsmeade, listening to James talk about quidditch, whether it was his house team or the World Cup that was coming to Britain this summer.<p>

"Hermione says she can introduce us to Victor Krum," she added, figuring she'd speak instead of her standard 'uh huh' and 'of course' she'd been automatically replying with.

James grinned from ear to ear. "Wicked."

As they approached Hogsmeade, the pair immediately diverted into Honeydukes, separating as they went to pick out treats for their siblings. Anya wasn't sure what to pick out at first for Claire, until she saw a pink and white licorice rope. Claire loved licorice rope. She would get yelled at for playing with it instead of eating it, but that was Claire. Grabbing a candy necklace to go with, she picked out a box of Bertie's Every Flavor Beans for Scorpius knowing that Hermione would pick out the respectable flavored ones before giving them to him.

Meeting James at the counter, she waited for the cashier to ring up the Chocolate Frogs for Al and the wizard shaped gummies he got for Lily before paying for her lot. Bags in hand, they left the shop, and Anya stuck close to James as they walked through the crowds over to The Three Broomsticks. James snagged a table for two near a window and the two sat down, waiting for one of the barmaids to come by to take their order. Anya spotted some of James' friends from Gryffindor across the room, and ducked her head down slightly as they made their way over.

"Hey! You came!" Declan Finnegan exclaimed as he patted James on the back.

"Yeah - had to get my siblings some candy," James replied, motioning to the bag. "Will you be back at quidditch practice tomorrow?"

Declan nodded. "Me elbow feels fine now that I'm done drinking that awful skele-gro."

"If you hadn't fallen off your broom, you wouldn't have to drink the awful skele-gro, you bloody klutz," Rhys Thomas pointed out with a laugh.

James laughed, and Anya swallowed a chuckle of her own as she watched Declan give Rhys' arm a good punch. "He has a point, mate," James added for good measure.

"It's not like I fell off the ruddy broom on purpose," Declan said a bit defensively.

Anya tucked the loose strands of hair that fell from her ponytail back behind her ears when she heard Rhys speak in her direction. "Anya, I'm…you know, sorry to hear about your mum."

She looked up at him, wide eyed. "Um, thanks."

"Yeah," Declan chimed. "Bloody awful, really."

"Yeah," Anya said with a sigh. An awkward sort of silence fell between the four of them for a moment before she spoke again. "Would you like to…you know, join us? We haven't ordered yet."

Declan and Rhys looked at James as if he'd grown a second head as he nodded. "Seriously?" Declan said, looking back at Anya. "You want to sit with us."

"Well if you're going to make a gigantic bloody production of it -"

"I think," James said, cutting her off. "What she means is sure, she'd love for you two to join. There's an open table over there that we can all sit at, as a matter of fact."

As Rhys and Declan headed over to he more accommodating table, James walked up behind Anya and whispered in her ear. "You know, if you're going to invite my friends to sit with us you can't be…well…you, five seconds later."

"Well he shouldn't have asked such a stupid question!" Anya hissed. "If I invited him to sit, then obviously I meant it."

James stifled a groan as he pulled a chair out of Anya before sitting down next to her. "Be nice," he mouthed to her as Rhys loudly bellowed for a barmaid to come take their order.

"Bite me," Anya mouthed back.

* * *

><p>Hermione sat at the table with Scorpius in her lap, helping guide his hand with the butter knife loaded up with sugar free icing as the two of them smeared it quite messily on the heart shaped cookie. "Yum!" Scorpius exclaimed as he jabbed a finger into the icing and bringing it to his mouth. "Miny bite?"<p>

She eyed his icing covered finger he'd placed in front of her face before playfully sucking it off with her mouth, making Scorpius giggle. "You're right, Scorp. That is very yum!"

Beaming, he wiggled his way off her lap, running over towards Jean with his hand outstretched so that she could wipe it of with a wet cloth. Hermione looked over at Claire, who was carefully placing sprinkles in an intricate design whereas Lily had a mountain of various sprinkles piled on each of her cookies. Albus iced all of his cookies with blue or green icing, after determining that they were the boy colors and leaving them sprinkle free, as sprinkles were also, in Al's eyes, the mark of a girl.

"Oh look," Ginny said as the men wandered into the kitchen. She smiled as Harry passed her, sneaking a kiss as he made his way to the children. "Amazing, how men always know the perfect moment to come back into the kitchen."

"Isn't it though?" Richard remarked, snagging an sugar cookie off a plate he was certain his wife set aside for him as they were cookies sans icing. He took a bite and made a noise. "Delicious, darling, as usual."

Jean smiled. "Why thank you, sweetheart."

"Daddy look!" Claire exclaimed, holding up her plate that held her masterpiece - a heart shaped cookie with pink icing with an M made out of sprinkles in the middle. "I made it for Mummy! Do you think Anya's owl, Nellie, can take this to Mummy?"

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking of how to process his words so that his answer didn't upset his daughter. "Well, sweetheart, I'm not sure Anya's owl can fly that high…"

"But a balloon could," Albus chimed in before Claire's lip could begin to quiver. "You know, like the kind at Grandma and Grandpa's work? Lily let go of hers once and it flew all the way up past the clouds!"

Lily pouted at the thought of her beloved red balloon. "I was so sad when I lostded that balloon."

"We could put your cookie _and_ your valentine in a bag, tie it to a balloon, and send it to your mum that way!" Albus exclaimed, proud of his plan. "Grandma, do you think we could do that?"

Claire seemed skeptical of this plan as she looked to her dad for some sort of rebuttal. "But…what if someone else takes it on the way up?"

"We'll write her name on the bag," Jean offered. "That way there will be no mistaking whom it's going to."

Claire kept her eye on her father, her shoulders tense until he gave her a simple nod of approval. She looked over at Hermione, smirking as Hermione's eyes brightened a bit. "Do you think it will work?"

"Of course it will!" Hermione exclaimed. "I think Albus has a brilliant plan!"

"Obviously this calls for an adventure to the clinic - who's coming along for the ride?" Richard asked, laughing as four little hands shot into the air immediately. "Jean, care to come with?"

Catching onto her husband's hint, she smirked and nodded. "I'm always up for an adventure! Harry, Ginny, what about you?"

Harry didn't even bother hiding his laugh as he nodded. "If I go, can I have a balloon too?"

"Of course!" Jean exclaimed with exuberant enthusiasm. "Balloons for everyone!"

Draco and Hermione could hardly get a word out in protest at being left alone before her parents had everyone swept out of the house in record time. Suddenly, the house seemed bigger, quieter, with tension slowly rising as Draco and Hermione stood at opposite ends of the kitchen table. Minutes passed by, painfully slow, both of them waiting for the other one to say something. Hermione wanted an apology. Draco knew he had no ability to speak without mucking it up further, unless he used brutal honesty, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for those admissions to be hanging in the air.

Eventually, Hermione cracked, as she couldn't take the tension between them. "Just tell me what you want me to do, Draco," she said, her words sharp. "If you want me to work at the Ministry, then that's what I'll do. Just tell me what will make you happy, Draco, and the decision will be made."

He nervously scratched the back of his neck and scowled. "Granger - you obviously want to do the book, so do the book."

"Wow. Once again, Draco, your support is practically overwhelming," Hermione said with complete exasperation.

"Goddamnit, Granger, what do you want me to say?" Draco snapped. "I bloody like working with you and I don't like the idea of not working with you?"

"If that's what you think, then yes!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Then that's what I think!" Draco shouted back.

Hermione stared at him, her hands perched on her hips as he braced his hands on the back of the chair in front of him, staring down at the ground. "You realize that's a ridiculous reason not to take this opportunity, right?"

"Of course I bloody do," he muttered. "I'm not Weasley."

"Excuse me? What was that?"

Draco looked up at her and sighed. "I'm not that idiot you married. I know…I understand the magnitude of this opportunity, especially for someone like you. You'd be daft not to do it. I wouldn't stop you from doing it. I want you to do it."

Hermione's frown softened. "I never compared you to Ronald."

"I know," Draco replied, yanking the chair out and plopping down. "I just…I don't know, Granger. I want you to do this book but I want you to work across the hall from me…but it doesn't matter what I want. We live together now. You were right - I'll still see you. I just don't like that I won't see you all day."

She couldn't help but laugh a bit. "So really, like usual, this has nothing to do with me but everything to do with you."

He knew she was making a joke to lighten the mood but he didn't care. Slouching back in the chair, he slowly rubbed his palms on the tops of his thighs and continued his growing interest in the planks of the Granger's hardwood floors. "I'm sorry I wasn't supportive from the get go. Truly, I am. I reckon I adapt to change about as well as my children."

Hesitating briefly, Hermione eventually made her way over to Draco, moving his hands from his legs as she perched herself on his lap, slinging an arm around his neck. "Can I tell you something?"

He shrugged, a hand on her leg as his other arm loosely wrapped around her waist. "If I said no, would it stop you?"

"No," Hermione replied with a smirk. With a gentle hand, she tilted his chin up slightly so that he was looking at her. "It's been a rough couple of months. The children, you, Astoria…it's been a lot of chaos and I'll admit when Astoria asked me to step in, this wasn't what I had in mind."

Draco snorted. "Not living up to your expectations?"

"That's not what I meant," she replied quietly. Gently, she touched her forehead to his, her hand caressing his cheek as she lightly pecked her lips against his. "I meant that this wasn't what I expected between you and me."

He hugged her close to him, resting his chin on her shoulder as she rested the side of her face on his. "She did," he mumbled. "It's why she asked."

"She wouldn't have had to ask, you know," Hermione replied as she felt him squeeze her tighter. "I wouldn't have deserted you." Pulling back enough to look him in the eye, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "My taking this job isn't deserting you."

"I know," he said.

"Despite the madness over these few months, I have honestly never been happier with someone…as odd as that may sound," Hermione confessed. "I enjoy being with you. I have for awhile. Long before Astoria asked me to care for the children -"

"And me," Draco added. "I think…I think she meant for you to care for me more than the children."

She smiled as her lips inched closer to his. "You are quite needy."

He laughed as her lips found his again. "Granger…I really am proud of you."

"You aren't just saying that?" she questioned.

"I swear," Draco promised. "I'm terribly sorry for making you feel as if I wasn't. I'm just selfish."

Hermione bit her lip as Draco stared at her. "You know, I'm going to miss working across the hall from you too, Draco. But just think of how much fun you'll have coming home every day."

"It really will be good for the children too," Draco said. "Give them a bit more stability."

"I agree," Hermione replied, choosing not to point out that she expressed the same sentiment a few days prior.

Draco looked around the empty kitchen for a moment, as if he was surveying the scene of cookies and various bowls of icing and knives scattered about. "As we were clearly left behind on the balloon adventure…how long do you think it will be until they return?"

Hermione thought about it for a moment. "With all those kids? A half hour at least."

"And when do you think we should do this balloon thing?"

"Well, Valentine's Day is tomorrow, so we can do it sometime in the afternoon tomorrow," Hermione replied.

Draco nodded. "So…you say they'll be gone a half hour?"

She laughed. "If you think you're getting anything out of me inside my parents' house other than a proper snog, you're barking!"

"I'll take what I can get," Draco teased. "But first - I have a very important question to ask you."

"Which is?"

"Do you think your parents would watch the children tomorrow evening?"

"I'm sure they would. Why do you ask?"

Smirking, Draco shifted Hermione in his lap slightly so he could have a better grip on her. "So I can take you on a proper date. A Valentine's date no less. What do you say, Granger? Care to go on a date with me?"

Her cheeks blushed slightly. "You realize what people will say if we're out to dinner tomorrow, right?"

"I could give a damn, Hermione," Draco said with complete sincerity. "Besides - I figure we're safe if we stay in Muggle London." Laughing, Hermione agreed as she climbed off of his lap. Grabbing his hands, she pulled him up to his feet and led him out of the kitchen. "Where are we going?" he asked as they reached the stairs.

"We certainly aren't going to snog down here where we can be caught," Hermione replied. "Last I checked, I still had a bedroom in this house."

"Brilliant," Draco replied. "Absolutely brilliant."


	18. Chapter 18

_**A couple of things:**_

_**1. It'll get a bit more exciting next chapter - promise. I was at 8000 words with this thing and I have half of the second chapter written so if I'd kept writing, it would have easily been a 19000 word chapter which is just crazy.  
><strong>_

_**2. I've seen a few of my favorite authors with notices about revising their stories that contain lemons as it violates the M rating, and since I want to avoid such an email, I'm going through my IAU universe and editing. Hopefully you all aren't reading my stories for the lemons as I'm A - awful at them and B - I feel like there's better stuff in my stories than the naked parts lol.**_

_**3. It really does get a little bit dramatastic in the next chapter - so hang in there. I'm so appreciative of all the reviews...it's just crazy. Next month will be the year anniversary that I started writing IAU. Makes time seem a bit weird when I look at it that way and I just love you all for the wonderful things you've written.**_

_**4. Thanks to NewYorkLover who let me bounce a few things off of her because I was kind of stuck - but she kickstarted the path in which Chapter 19 takes place. I knew once Astoria died I'd be like "well...now what?" and that's what happened. **_

_**5. Sorry if you think it's kind of a filler chapter...because it is. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!**_

* * *

><p>A light tapping noise on the window woke Claire up that morning from her slumber. Squinting her eyes, she rubbed them into focus while kicking her covers away as Crookshanks looked up from his curled up position on the pillow next to her, not at all amused by the little girl's antics. As Claire realized the tapping noise was coming from Anya's owl, she excitedly lunged across the bed and launched herself on top of her toy chest, opening the window as the bird stepped inside.<p>

Her chubby little fingers were irritating the brown owl as she tried to untie the package, her name clearly written on the outside tag. After a few minutes, both the bird and Claire were thoroughly frustrated. Huffing slightly, she pushed her hair back away from her face and stared at the brown string around the bird's leg, concentrating on making it disappear. Suddenly, the bag dropped from the owl's foot and the owl hurriedly flew away as Claire collapsed her legs, plopping her bum on the top of the toy box. Exhausted from her use of magic, she didn't even bother opening the bag. Instead, she yawned and crawled off the box, walking towards the door in search of her father's room. She was tired and unsure if she could fall asleep on her own again, but also knew if she snuggled with her father, she'd more than likely be asleep within minutes.

Approaching his door, she carefully turned the old brass knob and pushed it open, hoping the hinges didn't squeak too much. She learned that trick from Anya. _If you sneak in without waking him up, he won't make you leave_. Claire, however, didn't find her father sleeping in his room. The bed was already made. Assuming her father was already awake, she moved onto plan b – Hermione. She was always up for snuggling. Yawning again, she held her bag of loot from Anya and proceeded further down the hall until she reached Hermione's room.

Quietly, her little hand pushed on the brass doorknob once again where she found Hermione asleep on her stomach, holding her pillow. But what was peculiar was the lump lying next to Hermione. At the end of the bed, Claire dropped her gift from Anya and climbed on the cushioned bench at the foot of the bed and saw her father, snoring lightly. Slightly appalled that she wasn't involved to the slumber party, Claire ungracefully crawled between the two of them, snuggling her back next to her father's chest. Yawning, she exhaled a contented sigh as her father's instincts pulled her closer.

Hermione woke up about an hour later by the chatter coming from the monitor on her nightstand. Draco moved it into her room a few days after they stared sleeping in the same bed, not really asking so much as he just put it there, as it wasn't much good in a room he wasn't sleeping in. Smiling at the incessant babble with a few real words in the mix, she stretched her arms up over her head and rolled over, startled slightly as Claire was in the bed too, as sound asleep as her father. Hermione noticed the two had similar expressions, with their mouths barely open. Growing up, Hermione always thought Draco resembled his father, a thought based on personality more than actual genetics. But now, having grown close to him and his family over the years and seeing various pictures of his own mother during her youth, she realized that Draco resembled his mother greatly, but Claire was growing up to be a spitting image.

Carefully, she reached an arm over and poked Draco in the shoulder. "Draco," she whispered.

"Mmhrmp," Draco mumbled.

Unimpressed, Hermione poked him a bit harder, only to receive the same response. Finally, she just went ahead and flicked the tip of his nose with her index finger and thumb, his eyes immediately popping open. Before he could say anything, she pressed a finger to his lips and nodded in Claire's direction.

"Well…shit," Draco whispered, as Claire hugged the arm he had draped around her a little bit tighter.

Hermione stifled a laugh. "Lovely," she whispered.

"This is bad."

"It's not that bad."

"Until she asks nine hundred questions," Draco whispered back. "I swear she got that awful trait from her mother's side of the family."

"Doubt it," Hermione teased. Claire stirred in her sleep, exhaling as she snuggled closer to Draco. Scorpius' chants of 'Dad! Miny!' began ringing through the monitor. "I'll go get Scorp."

Draco looked at her, slightly horrified as she climbed out of bed. "You're just going to leave me here! What am I supposed to do if she wakes up!"

"There's no if, Draco. She will wake up," Hermione quietly replied with a snort. "And when she does…we'll deal with it."

"That sounds like an awful plan, Granger. Whoever said you were good at plans was obviously mental."

"You're the one that started these little slumber parties," she reminded him, perching her hands on her hips with her voice in a hiss. "What did you think? That you would plan to secretly sleep in here forever without any of the children noticing?"

"Not forever…" Draco honestly replied, catching the unimpressed look on her face.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione walked out of the bedroom, fixing the waistband of her pajama pants as Draco watched her disappear. Sighing, he carefully scooped Claire up with his arms and cuddled her close to his chest as he propped himself up in the bed. He noticed she was getting taller, as her lanky limbs hung on either side of his upper body. Just like the day he put Anya on the train back to Hogwarts, noticing how she looked just a little bit more grown up than she did at the beginning of the year, he didn't like it at all. Having Claire made watching Anya grow up just a little bit easier in Draco's eyes. But soon Claire wouldn't be little anymore, and the world of little girls he quickly fell in love with the moment Anya came into his life would be nothing but a distant memory.

* * *

><p>Anya sat at breakfast in the Great Hall, chomping on a piece of toast as she read through the divination book Hermione found for her when she heard someone sit down across from her. Looking up, she saw the freckled face of Declan Finnegan, smirking. "Can I help you?" she asked, still holding her piece of toast.<p>

Declan smirked, and Anya did her best not to look annoyed, though she was certain her efforts were worthless. "Saw you sittin' here alone, thought you'd want some company."

She bit back a harsh remark, swallowing it as she reminded herself that this was James' friend, and she promised she'd try to be nice. "I guess," Anya managed to speak. "That would be alright. Is James awake yet?"

The freckle faced boy shrugged as he shoveled a fork full of eggs into his mouth. "Dunno, really. I was up early sending a letter to me mum."

"I was sending a gift to my sister for Valentine's Day," Anya replied, her attention turned back to her book. "It's her favorite holiday. She likes to make valentines."

Declan laughed. "My little sister is the same way. I think she's your sister's age, too. Maybe they'll be friends at Hogwarts when they come."

"Claire likes everyone, so probably," Anya said, her voice with little emotion as she turned the page.

"Am I bothering you?" Declan quickly questioned. "If you don't want to be bothered I can move. I just saw you alone."

She looked up at him and sighed. "Everyone bothers me, Finnegan."

He smirked a little bit. "So it's not just me?"

"It's everyone," Anya reaffirmed, her eyes back on her book as she finished her toast.

Silence fell between the two acquaintances, Declan shoveling food into him like a bottomless pit while Anya finished reading her chapter. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do today, other than hide in her room and take a nap, but she knew James wouldn't allow her. She knew what he was doing, trying to keep her occupied. His mother probably told him to keep an eye on her, which Anya was more than appreciative of but at the same time, she just wished she could ignore everyone. Just because she lost her mind for a moment and went in search of an unreachable object in the middle of the forbidden forest didn't mean she was completely mental. She was desperate. There was a difference.

"Hey, Anya?"

"Yes," she said, not bothering to look up from her book.

"I was wondering if you were going to the Spring Fling dance. All the girls have gone barmy in my house about it, talking about dresses and hair and loads of other things blokes don't care about," Declan rambled on.

Her shoulders tensing, Anya snapped her attention in the direction of Declan, her eyes wide. "Finnegan…"

He looked at her for a moment, confused, before bursting out laughing. "You thought I was totally asking you! You should see your face! Hilarious! I mean, not that you aren't askable or anything, I mean, loads of guys want to ask you but they all think -"

"Think what? That I'm mean and horrible?" Anya grilled Declan. "Because I'm not mean and horrible - I'm just not one of those silly and ridiculous girls and I just don't want to be bothered is all!

Declan held his hands up in defense. "Hold up - I never said you were mean and horrible. I was asking you because I wanted to ask you if your friend Jemma had a date yet. I reckoned if you were going she was going."

Anya's shoulders dropped slightly. "I guess she's going. I don't believe anyone's asked her though…believe me if someone had, the entire school would know. And what do you mean loads of guys want to ask me? If they don't think I'm terrible then why wouldn't they ask me?"

Declan arched his eyebrows. "You can't be this daft. You're the smartest person in this school."

"Obviously I'm missing something if I'm asking," Anya hotly replied.

"James Potter has been your shadow since we returned."

"He's been my friend since I was born," she defended.

"He carries your bag to class."

"Because his mother used to make him carry my bag at St. Agnes after school. It's nearly been beaten into him."

"You realize he's practically in love with you, right?" Declan questioned.

Anya rolled her eyes, crossing her arms against her chest. "You have no bloody clue as to what you're talking about. We're thirteen years old - no thirteen year old could possibly be in love with anyone! It's mental!"

Declan rolled his eyes. "Ok. So maybe he didn't say he was in love with you - but it's obvious that he likes you, and before he gets the nerve to actually ask you to the dance, I figured I'd see what you were thinking because if you're going to hurt his feelings, I'd rather be able to talk him out of asking you now. He's one of my best mates, and I don't know about you sometimes."

Hastily, Anya slapped her book shut and stood up from the table, glaring at the offending Gryffindor the entire time. "You can't possibly _know_ about me because you don't _know_ me. Just because I was trying to be nice and invited you and Rhys Thomas to sit with us doesn't mean you can just…sit down and presume things about me, or my friendship with James - which by the way is _none_ of your business!"

"I just don't want to see him hurt!" Declan hissed at her. "He's a good guy, especially considering he puts up with you, and I thought you might want to know that -"

"The only thing I want to know is if you have the ability to shut that trap of yours," Anya snapped back. "And if you do - I suggest you shut it. Now."

Storming out of the Great Hall amid stares, she didn't even see James walking past her, trying to catch her attention quite unsuccessfully.

* * *

><p>Draco managed to doze off as he held Claire against his chest, hugging her close. As she began to wake, he felt her stir against his arms, causing his eyes to slightly flutter. "I'm stucked!" Claire said with a giggle.<p>

Smirking, Draco opened one eye and saw her looking up at him. "You know how you avoid being 'stucked,' don't you?"

She shook her head no.

"By sleeping in your own bed," he replied, releasing his bear hug around her.

Claire looked at him for a moment, wrinkling her nose as she thought. Sitting up a bit, she slid down her propped up father so that she was perched in his lap. "But _you're_ not sleeping in _your_ bed," she pointed out. "This is Hermione's room. Why aren't you sleeping in your room? Did you have a bad dream? I have bad dreams sometimes."

Draco rubbed his hands up and down Claire's arms with a frown. "Daddy didn't know you had bad dreams, Claire Bear. Why didn't you tell me?" He had no shame in seizing the moment to change the subject as to why he was in Hermione's room, let alone in her bed.

She shrugged, her unruly bed head of blond curls bouncing. "Cause sometimes I wake up from them and falled back asleep and dream about something else. Like being a real princess with a unicorn and a castle."

He stifled a laugh. "What woke you up this morning?"

"YaYa's owl," she replied. "She sent me presents for Valentine's Day! I dropped them on bench over there when I found you. I think its candy!"

"You got the gift off of Anya's owl. Without her biting you?" Draco inquired.

"Well, I kind of sort of accidentally on purpose kind of used my magic," Claire explained. "I gots so mad at it because it wouldn't untie from her owl's leg that I just…stared at it and all of a sudden the string went away!"

"We'll probably be talking about that later," Draco replied with a mocking stare. "But for a more important question - are you excited that Valentine's Day is finally here?"

Shrugging, her demeanor slightly dampened as she leaned her head against his chest. "I guess. I just miss Mummy."

"I know you do," Draco murmured, kissing the top of her head as he hugged her close. "But you know, Mummy wouldn't want you to be sad. You can still miss her - always - but she wouldn't want you to be sad."

Nodding, Claire yawned as she wrapped her small arms around her father. "I'm glad Hermione thought of a way to send Mummy a valentine. I just hope it doesn't get lost on the way."

"I'm certain it will find your mother," Draco reassured his daughter. "Granger wouldn't have suggested it if she thought it could get lost."

He smothered her neck with kisses, tickling her with his morning chin stubble as her laughs carried throughout the mansion. Keeping a tight hold on her as she squirmed, he jogged down the steps and bounced her all the way into the kitchen, stopping suddenly. Never did he ever think he'd see the day where his house elves would let a witch or wizard touch their kitchen, and here she was with his son on her hip, scrambling up what smelled to be eggs with cheese with some bacon and sausage frying up on the other stove burners. Scorpius seemed perfectly content watching as he held a broken off piece of banana in his hand.

Astoria never cooked, and he was quite certain she didn't know how, being raised just like he was, so maybe it was an unfair comparison, but Draco stared at her as he slowly placed Claire on the ground. He watched her move around the kitchen, swaying back and forth to his son's amusement as she used her magic to summon some plates to the kitchen table. _Granger would have been a good mother_, his words echoed to his wife months ago as they left the hospital as he watched her steal a bite of banana that his son was now forcefully sharing. Her patience was without boundaries, her compassion limitless. These traits about her that had always been there, the ones he mocked as a child becoming his one saving grace. She had a comfort level around his children that Astoria never had and at times, even surpassed himself. If she doubted herself, Draco could never tell. Her confidence was unnerving and a bit imitating to Draco at the same time, but it was also what attracted him to Hermione. She was unflappable.

With plates loaded, Hermione wandlessly had them float over to the table, spinning around to find Claire and Draco standing behind her. Smiling brightly, she ushered Claire towards the chair with the spatula in her hand. "Well good morning, sleepy head. How does scrambled eggs sound for breakfast?"

Claire grinned as she skipped over to the table. "Delicious!"

"Delicious!" Hermione repeated as she plopped Scorpius into his high chair, exchanging the remaining banana for a Scorpius sized fork. Helping him stab bite, she waved a slight cooling charm over his food so it wouldn't burn his mouth. "So Claire Bear," Hermione said, walking over to her and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "How do you feel about a slumber party at Grandma Jean and Grandpa Richard's house tonight?"

Her grey eyes perked up at the mention, looking over to her father for confirmation as he made his way over towards the table. "Can I stay up as late as I want?"

"Well, not too late because you have school in the morning," Hermione replied. "But Grandma will probably take you to McDonald's for breakfast in the morning if you ask politely."

Sighing wistfully, Claire took a bite of bacon. "I just love those hash browns."

Hermione taking Claire's response as a yes, walked over and looked at Draco, who was looking a bit, well, she wasn't quite sure how he was looking. But it was certainly not a normal Malfoy look. _Maybe Claire grilled him more than he could handle,_ she thought to herself. "You ok?"

He smiled. "Better than ok," he replied. "I'm just trying to figure out how you got the elves to let you cook."

Giggling, Hermione grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the table. "I promised to let them clean my room."

"Well played, Granger," Draco acknowledged, sitting down next to Claire. Looking around the kitchen, watching as Scorpius fed himself and Claire chomped away on her bacon, he realized he'd never actually eaten at the table in the kitchen. "I guess it never occurred to me to even think about eating in here."

Hermione took a bite of her eggs, relishing in their cheesy deliciousness, as it was one of the few things Molly Weasley taught her to make at the Burrow. Not that she had any intention of revealing her secret, of course. "It's awfully pointless to use that large dining room for just us," Hermione said in between bites. "Besides, this is more cozy. I rather like it."

"Me too," Claire chimed in with a mouthful of scrambled eggs. She looked over at her brother, who had now held a piece of bacon in each and looked entirely too happy about it. "Scorpius is coming too, right?"

Draco nodded. "Yes. Both of you will go to Grandma Jean's."

"Can Crookshanks come too?" Claire asked suddenly, slight panic creeping in her voice. It wasn't lost on Draco and Hermione that the cat had become a source of comfort for Claire since her mother's death, and Hermione was convinced Crookshanks could sense the child's sadness. After all, Crookshanks was part kneazle, and they were very perceptive creatures. "I don't want to go if Crookshanks can't come, Daddy."

Hermione smiled at Claire. "Crookshanks can come. He likes being at Grandma and Grandpa's house."

The tension that briefly forced her small frame rigid dissolving as she exhaled, Claire wiped her hands on her napkin. "Ok…but if Scorpius and I aren't here, what will you and Daddy do?"

Draco choked down a gulp of milk while Hermione didn't miss a beat. "Probably just boring grown up stuff."

"Like…what kinds of stuff?" Claire asked.

"I need to set up my desk in your father's office for one," Hermione replied. "Now that I'll be getting ready to work on the book."

Claire made a face. "You're right…that does sound boring."

"Tell me about it," Hermione said, feigning the dread though deep down, the thought of organizing a desk and sharing an office with Draco in the house excited her to no end. "Completely boring."

"Yum! See it, Dad. See it!" Scorpius exclaimed, shoving the fist full of bacon in the direction of his father. "Bite!"

"You take a bite," Draco instructed, chuckling as his son happily obliged.

Suddenly, Claire gasped, her fork clattering against the plate as her hands clapped together. "I have the _bestest_ idea ever! Do you want to hear it? It's _really_ good."

Nodding, Hermione wiped her hands on her napkin and gave Claire her undivided attention, along with Draco. "Well of course I want to hear this idea, especially if it's the _best_ idea ever."

Climbing onto her knees in the chair, she braced her hands on the table and looked at her father, then to Hermione, then back to her father. "Daddy - you should take Hermione on a date because it's Valentine's Day and that's what boys are supposed to do to girls that they like." Sighing, she leaned back on her knees and gave a wistful look. "It'd be so romantical."

Speechless, Hermione tried to think of something witty to respond back with, but nothing came to mind. Draco seemed frozen as well, whereas Scorpius was blissfully oblivious to everything as he smashed a glob of scrambled eggs in his hands, giggling as the eggs smooshed between his fingers.

Clearing his throat, Draco looked at his daughter, doing his best to keep his face as neutral as possible. "Sweetheart, why would you think that I like Granger?"

"Because you two were sleeping in the same bed," Claire answered in an obvious tone, almost as if she was insulted by the question. "Grandpa and Grandma sleep in the same bed, and they like each other. You and Mummy used to sleep in the same bed when you liked each other."

"Your mummy and I never stopped liking each other," Draco quickly replied. "We just grew apart."

Claire nodded. "YaYa says that you and Mummy weren't going to be married anymore, but you changed your mind when she got sick so you could take care of her. And Grandpa Richard…he says that's what a real prince charming does, but do you think I have to be sick in order to meet a prince charming? Cause I'd rather just meet one like Cinderella at a fancy ball…in a fancy dress…Hermione? Can we go shopping this week? I think I need new shoes."

The thought process of Claire Malfoy would never cease to amazing Hermione. Regaining her voice, she gave a stuttered nod as she regained her composure. "I'm sure it could be arranged. Yes. Probably so."

"Yes!" Claire hissed, grabbing her fork and stabbing a bite of eggs with gusto. Silence fell over the table; Draco and Hermione stealing silence but slightly awkward glances at one another while the children finished their breakfast. As Claire shoveled the last bite of eggs into her mouth, her eyes lit up again, causing her to stand up straight on her knees as her grey eyes shined brightly. "Daddy! If you married Hermione, I could be a bridesmaid like Sarah was in her aunt's wedding and get to wear a fancy dress and then tell everyone all about it at show and tell!"

Dropping his fork, Draco all but bolted up from his chair. Looking for something, anything really, to focus on, he chose Scorpius, who was clearly done eating as he continued to play with his food. "Looks like someone's getting a bath early today."

"Bat!" Scorpius cheered. "Blow_ing? _Blow_ing?"_

"Yep," Draco grunted, hoisting his messy son out of his high chair. "We're going to take a bath with bubbles."

"Yay!" Scorpius cheered. He waived at Claire and Hermione as his father carried him out of the kitchen. "Bye!" he shouted.

Hermione waived at Scorpius, her mind a blur as she tried to process what just happened. She found herself lost in a cluster of confusion, only coming back to reality at the sound of Claire's persistent chanting of her name.

"Hermione, can we send Mummy's valentine to her now?" Claire asked. "Just you and me?"

She furrowed her brow a bit. "You don't want Daddy to do it with you?"

Shrugging, Claire shrunk down a little bit in her seat. "I just want you to do it with me. I don't want Daddy to see me if I cry, because it will make him sad. He was sad when he saw YaYa cry at the funeral…she was really sad. And Daddy said this morning that Mummy wouldn't want us to be sad, but I can't help it sometimes."

Nodding, Hermione picked her napkin up and began to fold it, creasing the edges with her nails with each fold. "Your father is right. Your mother wouldn't want you to be sad. But its ok if you still feel sad. You'll probably feel sad for a while. Daddy just doesn't want you to be sad forever, and neither do I. One of our most favorite things about you, Claire Bear, is your sparkle, and we both know your mummy would never want you to lose that."

Nodding, Claire pushed herself back away from the table and climbed out of her chair. "I'm going to go get Mummy's valentine."

"Alright," Hermione replied, placing folded napkin next to her plate.

Alone in the kitchen, she leaned back in the kitchen chair and exhaled. On the one hand, Claire was seemingly coming back to her former self, as evidenced by her random and lack of congruent thought processes, as one thought had nothing to do with the other. But in the same breath, Hermione's head was spinning. She expected something more along the lines of a Spanish inquisition regarding her and Draco sleeping in the same bed, not an immediate conclusion that she and Draco should get married. Though it wasn't really a demand, more along the lines of a suggestion, this bridesmaid notion of Claire's was slowly growing into an obsession.

The thought of even getting married again…Hermione refused to allow her mind to go there. She and Draco had already acknowledged the fact that they'd been there, done that, with abysmal results. Of course, their respective spouses were a significant contributing factor contributing to the desire to never exchange vows again, but that wasn't the point. She shook her head, pulling her knees to her chest as she sat on the kitchen chair, her heels digging into the edge of the wooden seat. The 'M' word shouldn't even be a thought right now. Draco was only taking her out on their first 'proper' date this evening. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, they probably should have gone on the date first before sharing a bed at night, but it wasn't as if anything in this situation could be defined as normal. It was nearly upside-down backwards, and if there was one thing that drove Hermione Granger to her wits end, it was events happening without logic. She was practical. She liked being practical. It made her feel safe and in control.

But if she were being honest with herself, there was a bit of excitement to her new relationship with Draco, whatever their relationship was, or really evolving into. The lack of predictability and element of surprise was almost intoxicating at times.

"What am I going to do?" she asked aloud, burying her face in her hands. She hated her emotions, making her feel like the same silly girl all those years ago as she cried her tears into her pillow at night, all because of a boy.

"What are you going to do about what?" Claire asked as she reappeared in the kitchen with the balloon affixed to her valentine, dressed to the nines in her Cinderella princess dress with plastic jeweled rings on each of her fingers.

Smiling, Hermione wrinkled her nose playfully at Claire. "What am I going to do about _you_," she teased.

"Do you think this is enough sparkle?" she asked, giving Hermione her best princess dress spin.

Hermione pulled her wand from the pocket of her pajama bottoms and pointed it at the little girl. With a swish and a flick, Hermione untangled Claire's mass of curly blond bed head and turned into a sleek and beautiful up-do fit for a princess.

Knowing Hermione had to have done something amazing, Claire ran over to the counter stood up on her tiptoes, catching her reflection in the side of the toaster. "I look like Cinderella!" she gasped. "Hermione! Thank you!"

Hermione laughed, catching Claire as the little girl launched herself into her arms. Hugging her tight, she kissed he cheek. "You know," she said as Claire situated herself on Hermione's lap. "Your Nana Cissa used to wear her hair back just like this all the time. She was a very, _very_ beautiful lady."

Claire leaned into Hermione a bit. "Do you think that I'll be as pretty as Nana Cissa someday?"

"Most definitely," Hermione confidently replied. "In fact, I think you just might be even more beautiful."

Sliding off of her lap, still clutching to the string of the balloon, Claire looked at Hermione. "Do you think I look like my mummy at all? I wish I did sometimes. YaYa looks just like Mummy."

Hermione studied Claire's features for a moment, taping a thoughtful finger to her chin as Claire waited most impatiently for an answer. Claire was a Malfoy from her blond locks to her pale toes. The only Malfoy genetic trait Anya inherited was her paleness, which with a little help from her mother's side, tanned ever so slightly in the summer months. But where Anya had her mother's looks she certainly had her father's personality, and Claire was the complete opposite. "I think you are the most like your mother," Hermione finally spoke. "You might not look like her, but you and her love many of the same things -"

"Like fancy parties and dresses and necklaces!" Claire exclaimed.

"Most certainly," Hermione replied, inwardly cringing at how materialistic it sounded. Claire had a good heart though, a big heart, and while she wasn't sure which side of the family it came from, she knew she would do her best to make sure Claire never lost the best part of her. "Let me go get dressed and find your coat and we'll send your valentine up to Mummy, ok?"

"Ok!"

* * *

><p>Draco heard the faint giggles of his youngest daughter as he manhandled his son who decided that he was going to fight the task of putting on clothes today. Pulling his son's shirt over his head, he gave his son a stern look, letting him know that the squirming needed to cease as he helped him slide his arms through the sleeves. Sighing with defeat, Scorpius sat as still as he could on his changing table while Draco slipped his pants and socks on before giving his short blond curls one last tousle with the towel.<p>

Helping Scorpius down, his son bolted towards the toy trains scattered on the ground as Draco made his way to the window. Peeking through the curtains, he watched Hermione stood behind Claire, her hands on his daughter's shoulders as they both were bundled up. Claire held the valentine she made for her mother in her hand, and gave it a big kiss before letting go, both of them watching the bright red balloon floating up into the sky. Part of him was relieved that they didn't wait until the afternoon. Call him weak, but he couldn't bear the thought of seeing Claire upset. He talked to Hermione about the valentine late last night; concerned it would cause another month of tears.

"_I just don't want her upset anymore," he confessed. "I appreciate your thought, but is it really what's best?" _

_Hermione's back was curled into his chest as she hugged the pillow under her head. "It will help give her some closure, Draco. She's too little to process all of these emotions the way you want her too. She's just a little girl. I wouldn't have suggested the idea if I didn't think it could help her." _

_Sighing, he released his old on her and rolled onto his back, the palms of his hand digging into his eyes. Draco was exhausted by all of the emotion in his house since his wife's death. He couldn't stand it. He didn't miss his childhood, nor did he want to relive it, but he wished most desperately that he could channel his iron curtain of emotion that he had before sixth year came around and everything went to hell._

_Hermione rolled over, propping her head up with an elbow and the help of her hand as she watched him, slowly inhaling before sharply exhaling in a slow and controlled manner. Gently, she placed a hand on his bare chest, which Draco immediately latched onto with his hands. "So…" she said, playfully, her toe nudging his calf as she tried to lighten the mood. "Where are you taking me on our date tomorrow." _

_A chuckle escaped his lips as he squeezed her hand. "Somewhere muggle, so you don't sit there all twitchy and Granger like, panicking that someone will 'out' us to the wizarding world." _

_She pinched his leg hair with her toes as he yelped. "I am not twitchy!" _

"_You have your moments, Granger," he said, turning his head to face her with his trademark smirk. "When you can be twitchy. I didn't want tomorrow to be one of them." _

_She gave him a glare, though she knew it was hardly of the menacing sort. "Well, what will we be doing in Muggle London then? What tricks do you have up your sleeve, Mister Malfoy?" _

"_Dinner…a stroll around London…amazing sex in a childless house…" _

_Arching an eyebrow, she bit the inside of her lip as the corners of her mouth flickered upward. "Amazing sex in a childless house, you say. Those are some lofty expectations." _

"_I'm aware," Draco replied, rolling so that he was on his side, facing her. "I figure I'm good at least two out of the three." _

_Moving closer to him, Hermione buried her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling the mixed scent of Draco's cologne and shower soap. She kissed his collarbone and mumbled, "You take the amazing out of your expectation, and we might be able to manage all three." _

_He pulled her back, looking appalled. "We're having amazing sex, Granger. It's going to happen." _

"_I haven't had sex in almost three and a half years, Draco," Hermione replied. "You'll be lucky if I remember how it works." _

_Draco kissed her forehead and laughed. "I'm sure that together, we'll be able to jog your memory." _

From Scorpius' nursery room, he watched as Hermione ran around in circles with Claire, their arms sticking out to the sides as if they were pretending to fly. The balloon high up in the air was disappearing, turning into a memory as Hermione and Claire chased each other, laughing and carrying about as if they were the only two people in the world. He wasn't quite sure what he managed to do in his life that would let him deserve someone like Hermione Granger. Draco didn't know anyone in their right mind who would just stop the life that they knew to take on a whole new one. Her life had already been disrupted once, and yet she was allowing it to happen again.

"_Tell me, Potter - how is it that Weaselbee hasn't managed to knock up Granger yet?" Draco asked Harry, a few months after Claire was born as he hid in Harry's office. "I'm surprised she doesn't become pregnant in his general presence, given how potent they all are." _

_Harry looked up from his desk, peering at Draco over his glasses. "I'm going to pretend for a moment that you didn't insult my in laws. As for Ron and Hermione, I don't know. She wants children. I know she does. But Ron's always balked at it. Merlin knows why. He seems pretty good with my boys. Not that I'd leave them alone with him for a prolonged period of time, but I don't know. I know it bothers Hermione, though. She'd be a brilliant mother." _

_Draco rolled his eyes. "I don't know how someone like her can wind up with someone as utterly daft as Weaselbee." _

"_They love each other," Harry simply replied._

"_Love isn't always enough, you know." _

_Harry looked unimpressed. "And what makes you say that, Malfoy?" _

"_You've met my wife, right?" _

He was nervous about his date with Hermione. He wanted to make sure they went somewhere romantic, but off the beaten path. Draco wanted the night to be perfect, not because it was Valentine's Day but because Hermione deserved a perfect night. She deserved a thousand perfect nights, in Draco's mind, for what she did for him, for his children. If he could accomplish a perfect night tonight, it would open the door for everything else to possibly fall into place.

* * *

><p>Storming through the halls, Anya was only a few feet from the Slytherin common room when James managed to catch up with her. Wrenching her arm out of his grasp, James grabbed for her again, spinning her around as he panted, trying to catch his breath.<p>

"What part of 'leave me alone' are you not understanding?" Anya demanded to know.

"What - what happened? Why are - why are you so upset?"

She huffed. "Because of that bloody tosser you call a friend. Finnegan is a daft idiot, and if he ever speaks to me again like he knows me I plan on hexing him into the _next_ _century_!"

James snapped his hands up in defense. "I'll admit, Declan can be a bit of a git, but yesterday in the dorms he said he thought you were alright. I don't know what could have changed between last night and this morning. What did you say to him?"

Her eyes grew wide with fury. "What did _I_ say to him? _I_ didn't say _anything_. _I_ was sitting there, minding _my_ own _business_ when he came over, sat his freckled face down and before I know it, he's asking me about this _stupid_ dance and saying things about…" she felt herself getting flustered, and she didn't want to break down and cry again in front of James. She was convinced that's all she did in his presence lately. "Whatever. It doesn't matter what he was talking about because he's an idiot."

Swallowing hard, James made a split decision to not pry into what Declan said to her, because if it had anything to do with the conversation they all had last night, he'd rather not face rejection while she was at the height of her rage. "I'll talk to Declan," James promised. "He just doesn't know when to shut it."

She crossed her arms against her chest and blew wisps of hair away from her face with a huff. "Obviously." Her defensive stance dropping slightly, she looked at James and shrugged. "You should go…eat breakfast or something. I'm sure you're starving."

James laughed awkwardly. "I'm always starving."

"I know."

"Right…" he said, his voice trailing off. "You want to work on that divination essay later?"

She nodded, her hands dropping to her side. "Yeah. I'll be in the library in a bit."

"Ok," James replied. "I'll see you after a bit."

"Ok," Anya replied.

They stood there, facing each other in an awkward silence, before she gave him a look that had him turning on a heel in an instant. Retreated into the Slytherin common room, she walked past what few students were sitting around saying nothing, not that any of them noticed. Slytherins kept to themselves unless they wished to speak with someone. They weren't a chatty and gregarious bunch like Gryffindors, or exuberantly friendly like Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws.

Anya quickened her pace a bit, passing a few dorm mates as she scurried over to the third year dormitories, relieved when she found herself alone. Flopping down on her bed, the back of her head hit her pillow with a thud as she kicked off her shoes. _Declan Finnegan - what did he know? Mouthy little git…irritating tosser. _She laid in bed in silence, pondering ways to hex that nosey git for implying that James liked her more than a friend when she heard a loud pop, startling her upright.

"Harby not mean to scare Miss Anya!" the house elf exclaimed, hugging a green box to his chest. "Harby is so sorry! Harby must be punished!"

"No, no no, no," Anya reassured him, catching her breath as she motioned for the house elf to approach her. "Dad doesn't like it when you punish yourself."

Harby took a few timid steps forward. "Harby will make sure not to scare Miss Anya next time, but Harby has a box to give Miss Anya. Harby was told to give it to Miss Anya by Misses Malfoy."

Her eyes grew wide as her eyebrows arched in disbelief. "My mother gave you a box to give to me and you're just now giving it to me! Harby! Why would you keep this from me!"

Wincing away, Harby carefully put the box onto her bed. "Harby is sorry, Miss Anya, but Misses Malfoy made Harby promise not to give the box to Miss Anya until the right time. Harby sensed this morning that today was the right time to give Miss Anya the box. Please don't be mad at Harby, Miss Anya. Harby was only doing what he was told."

Anya leaned forward and pulled the box towards her, feeling protective of what was inside while at the same time feeling bad that she raised her voice with Harby. Hermione would be disappointed in her if she knew how she just spoke to Harby. "I'm sorry I yelled," Anya said softly. "I've had a terrible morning. Did Claire have a box too? What about Scorp, or Dad?"

"Misses Malfoy gave Harby five boxes, and instructed Harby to give them to their owners when the time was right. Harby decided today that the time was right for Miss Anya," Harby stated.

Nodding, understanding what Harby was indirectly telling her, Anya crawled off the bed and bent down to give Harby a hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "You really are my favorite elf."

"And Miss Anya is Harby's favorite…Miss Anya!" Harby exclaimed as he enthusiastically returned the affection.

As Anya let go of the elf, Harby snapped his fingers together and disappeared, once again leaving Anya alone in the room. She stared at the box on her bed, unsure of what she'd find inside. Knowing her mother, the potential was endless. The contents could make her day or add to her misery. There was never a happy medium when it came to her mother. It was always one extreme or another.

She wanted to open the box, but she wanted more privacy than her empty dorm room allowed. She also wasn't sure she wanted to open the box alone.


	19. Chapter 19

_**All I have to say is thank god the heat wave as somewhat ceased in Indiana. Also - this might be the longest chapter I've ever written. I'll leave the rest of the remarks up to you ;)**_

* * *

><p>Draco offered to take the children to her parents' house, allowing her some time to herself. She hadn't had much of that since she moved into the mansion. By taking the children over before lunch, it gave Hermione the day to accomplish her tasks, as he knew she was itching to get her work area fixed up in his office. It also allowed Draco to accomplish a few errands before their date this evening.<p>

Several months prior, Draco had his fireplace connected to Jean and Richard's fireplace in their living room. The Grangers of course found this to be a particularly odd way to travel, but it was efficient, and much quicker than hiring a driver and a car. Claire, clutching Crookshanks, flooed through the fireplace first, announcing her presence with a gregarious _we're here!_ Draco soon followed with Scorpius and the children's overnight bags in tow.

"Grandma! Grandpa! Where _are_ you?" Claire sang as Draco put Scorpius down on the ground.

Richard walked into the living room, beaming as Claire quickly put the cat on the couch before running over to him, giggling as he swooped her up into his arms. "Happy Valentine's Day, Claire Bear!"

"Happy Valentine's Day Grandpa!" Claire exclaimed. "Where did you hang my valentine that I made you?"

"In the garage on my tool box so I see it every time I'm working on the car," Richard enthusiastically replied. "It's by far the best one you've made."

Claire nodded in agreement. "That's 'cause I saved the most sparkly glitter for you! Where's Grandma?"

"In the kitchen making lunch," Richard replied, placing Claire on the ground. "Run along and she may let you help."

She didn't need to be told twice. As she scampered off, Scorpius took an interest in the unprotected cat, toddling over to it and slowly extending his hand, whispering _kitty_ with each pet. Draco watched, quietly moving closer in case he needed to save the fur ball from his son. Hermione would never let him live it down if something happened to the blasted thing.

"Are those their bags?" Richard asked. "If so I'll take them upstairs."

Draco nodded, picking them up by the straps and placing them in front of Richard. "Thanks again for watching the children for the day and taking Claire to school in the morning."

Richard waved him off. "It's really not a big deal. The school isn't more than a stone's throw away."

"I know, but you do so much for the children and –"

"That's what grandparents are for," Richard kindly interrupted him. "Besides, Jean loves it. I'm sure they'll spend all day in the kitchen baking cookies to take to school or doing some sort of artsy project while Scorp and I will watch a little football on the telly. I will try to get him to cheer for Grandpa's team, but really he just cheers for everyone."

Draco's glance shifted to Scorpius, who was now leaning his belly against the couch, looking as if he was lulling Crookshanks into a false sense of security. "Be easy, Scorp."

"Nice kitty," Scorpius whispered with a Cheshire grin.

Richard took a seat in his rocking leather recliner and motioned for Draco to sit as well. Following instructions, Draco took a seat on the opposite end of the couch, eyeing Scorpius out of the corner of his eye as Claire's giggles from the kitchen echoed through the house. "I take it you and Hermione are on good terms again?"

Draco chuckled slightly. "Yes. Once I clarified my actual feelings, she forgave me. She's quite forgiving when it comes to me, as long as I approach her with a sincere apology."

Laughing, Richard nodded, his heels slowly rocking his chair back and forth. "The grudge holding she gets from me, but she gets her forgiveness from her mother."

Shrugging, Draco looked down at his hands as he absently began to pick at his thumbnail. "I wouldn't say that. After all, you forgave me for being horrible to your daughter when we were younger."

Richard noticed Draco's voice become a bit quiet as he took an interest in his hands. "Maybe so," he replied. "But children are easier to forgive." His eyes met Draco's, noting the somewhat remorseful look on his face. "Besides – your actions speak louder than your words, and I meant what I said yesterday. I know you genuinely care about my daughter. It's all over your face."

"I used to be better at hiding my feelings, you know," Draco wryly replied, looking over at Scorpius. He seemed to be getting braver, petting Crookshanks from the top of his head all the way to the end of his tail. "It's the Malfoy way. However, your daughter has thrown quite a wrench into my current ability."

"But it's a wrench you're willing to accept."

It was a statement more than a question, and Draco knew it. He sharply inhaled and slowly exhaled. "Yes."

"She loves you."

"She loves everyone."

"She doesn't love everyone the same way she loves you," Richard reasoned. "She's just a bit more protective of her heart than she used to be."

Draco nodded, scratching the back of his neck. "I feel guilty, you know, for having the feelings I have for your daughter...feelings I was supposed to have towards my wife. I tried too. I tried so hard, knowing there was no way out of the arranged marriage, and I failed horribly."

Richard shook his head. "You're too hard on yourself, Draco. I might only know what my daughter tells me, but from what I know, you did anything but fail. You could have gone through with your divorce and left Astoria to deal with her illness on her own but you didn't. You were a man, you took care of her every way that you could because you loved her in your own way. You can't force someone how to feel. You either can…or you can't."

"Yeah," Draco replied with another sigh. "I guess this is true."

"It is," Richard said with a smirk. "So what are your plans for the evening?"

Perking up a bit, Draco sat up and smiled slightly. "Dinner at a restaurant on Potter's suggestion, then probably one of those movie things she has back at the house."

Richard nodded. "Sounds like a lovely time."

"I think we're just looking forward to a brief break," Draco confessed. "It's been so chaotic since Astoria died and so it'll be nice to have a little peace and –"

"KITTY MINE!" Scorpius screeched in ecstasy, snatching Crookshanks off of the couch in an uncoordinated swoop with his small hands around the cat's fluffy middle, triumphantly holding him up in the air in the most victorious of fashions. He ran off, Crookshanks bouncing with each of Scorpius' steps as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy!" Draco's voice sternly bellowed. Scorpius turned around, wide-eyed. "Put. The cat down. _N__ow_."

Shoulders slumped, Scorpius looked at his father for a few fleeting moments before reluctantly letting Crookshanks go. The cat all but leapt out of his grasp, darting and slinking as he retreated up the stairs to hide under something large. "Kitty bye," he said pathetically, his lower lip quivering. He trudged his way over to Richard, crawling up into his lap and curling up in the crook of his arm, sad that the cat was no longer in his grasp.

Richard stifled a chuckle while Draco stood up, shaking his head at his son. "Be good for Grandma and Grandpa."

Scorpius sniffled as he gave a pitiful reply. "Ok."

"Have fun tonight," Richard said, though quickly amended his statement with, "But not too much fun."

Draco hoped his cheeks didn't blush. "Thanks. I'm going to say goodbye to Claire and be off."

Richard nodded a final time, and Draco quickly made his way out of the living room as he headed off towards the kitchen. He found Claire standing on a step stool with Jean behind her, using what he was certain Hermione called a mixer with Jean's help. As the loud device powered off, Claire stuck her finger in the bowl and hooked what appeared to be something of a chocolate nature into her mouth. "That's delicious!" she exclaimed.

"Well, then we best put it in the fridge so that it can chill before lunch!" Jean enthusiastically exclaimed. Quickly, she wrapped the bowl up with a cover and placed it in the fridge.

"Daddy! We made pudding to eat with lunch!" Claire exclaimed as she saw him standing in the doorway. "It's going to be _so _good."

Draco grinned as he gave her a nod. "I'm sure it will be. You be good for Grandma and Grandpa, and let Grandma brush your hair in the morning for school."

Claire frowned, remembering that Grandma and Anya were the only ones who did her hair without the help of magic. "Don't worry," Jean said with a smile. "We'll take a bath tonight and braid it nice so that there won't be any tangles in the morning. That's what I used to do with Hermione."

Sighing with relief, Claire nodded as she hopped off the step stool and went to Draco, giving him a hug. "I love you!" she said with a kiss to her father's cheek as he scooped her up.

"I love you too," Draco replied, giving her an extra squeeze before putting her down. "And don't argue with Grandma about wearing tights. Its cold out and you're wearing them. Hermione will know if you don't," he added for good measure.

She thought about retorting with the fact that they're super itchy, but Claire remembered hearing her father's voice shouting her brother's name minutes earlier and decided not to press her luck. "Ok, Daddy."

Jean chuckled silently at the exchange, remembering back to the days when Hermione would cry about wearing tights to school to her father. She knew her husband would have caved to those big brown eyes in an instant if it wasn't for the fear he had in "Mum" finding out his daughter went to school with bare legs in the winter air.

Draco looked up at the older woman, who bore such a striking resemblance to Hermione, and smiled. "As I said to your husband, thank you again for keeping them today and tomorrow."

"No thanks necessary," Jean replied. "We're always happy to have them here."

"It's appreciated nevertheless," Draco humbly responded. As Claire skipped out of the kitchen to see what Richard was up to, he shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed. "I feel like I should tell one of you, and while I fear both of you quite a bit when it comes to your daughter, I fear you just a little bit less."

Jean arched an eyebrow. "Just a little bit?"

"Believe me, it's a mere, small margin of error," Draco replied with a nervous laugh. "But I feel like one of you should know my intentions with your daughter."

Bracing her hands against the top of the island counter top, she curiously looked at Draco, tilting her head ever so slightly. "Go on," she encouraged.

He inhaled deeply and nervously exhaled. "I know what I've said to her in the past. I know when this whole…thing began I alluded to her at one point that marriage was not in the cards for me. I'd done it once and I didn't plan on doing it again."

Jean nodded, her face stoic. "She mentioned this to us, yes."

_Of course she did_, Draco thought to himself. He swallowed hard and sighed once more. "I…I don't know what my future has in store for me, or for your daughter. But I genuinely care about her in a way I didn't realize was possible. I've um, spent a lot more time than I care to admit ignoring how I really feel about your daughter but once I stopped –"

"It's like opening the flood gates," Jean interjected with a warm chuckle. "Believe me, Draco, I've been there. That one in there chased me for nearly half a year before I caved to his request. He wasn't like anyone I'd ever met, and that could be because we grew up quite differently. He came from a working class family, and I grew up quite privileged, much like you in a way."

Draco nodded, his hands shoved into his pockets as he slightly rocked back and forth on his heels.

"He was loud and boisterous when we met at university," Jean continued with a fond smile. "I was quite certain he didn't have any manners with the way he would run amuck around campus with his mates. He asked me out loads of times during freshman year and I shook my head and ignored him each time, knowing that my mother would positively die in the foyer of our home if I ever brought a man like him home."

Chuckling, Draco could most certainly relate. "What changed your mind?"

She began cleaning up the bowls and spoons used to make the chocolate pudding with a grin. "He did. I liked him from the beginning of course, but I didn't think I could act on it. I was already going against the grain of my family by attending university. Women in my family are meant to marry well and take care of a home. I was the first one who chose the university route. The fact that I worked alone probably contributed to my mother's early decline. Richard and I, however, had many of the same classes, and eventually I realized that I couldn't make choices based on what others would think of me. When Richard asked me out again when we returned from winter holiday, I said yes and the rest was, as they say, history."

He sighed quietly as he straightened up his shoulders just a bit. "I know my future is with your daughter," he admitted. "I know it's complicated…but she makes me feel better."

Jean nodded in agreement. "Richard makes me feel better, to this day. And I know it's complicated, not just with the situation with your children and your late wife, but with your family and her family as well."

He suppressed a groan, swallowing hard as he gave her simple nod.

She walked over to Draco, standing right in front of him as she placed her reassuring hands on his broad shoulders. "It doesn't matter how you define your relationship, Draco," she quietly encouraged. "I could certainly care less, as could her father. But what I can tell you is this – she will _always_ take care of you, the children, and anyone else before she takes care of herself – which is how she ended up in the situation she was in with Ron. Date her, marry her, live with her forever – again, as it bears repeating, I could honestly care less. But whatever this is between the two of you – it's up to you to take care of her. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Ma'am," Draco replied earnestly. "I promise, regardless of what happens, I'll take care of her."

Smiling, she leaned in kissed his cheek before giving him a hug. "I know you will."

* * *

><p>Anya walked out of the common room with her box in hand, ignoring the peculiar stares from her dorm mates as she walked out of the dungeons. Keeping to herself, she quickly made her way through the halls and up the moving staircases to the fourth floor. Quietly, she walked through the stacks of books until she found James sitting in the back near the restricted section, alone as he scribbled notes on a piece of parchment.<p>

"Hey," she quietly. "May I sit?"

James looked up and nodded. "You don't have to ask, you know."

Sitting down, she placed the box on the table in front of her and sighed. "I was rude earlier…and I'm sorry. I don't know why I take everything out on you."

Laughing slightly, he dipped his quill in the inkwell and continued to write notes from his Charms book. "It's probably because you know I'll forgive you for it."

"Possibly," Anya meekly replied. "I really am sorry."

James placed his quill in the inkwell and leaned back in his chair. "I know you're going through a rotten time, Anya. I just wish you'd talk to me."

Her shoulders slumped. "I'm trying to get better. I'm just angry at everything."

"I'm sure if I were you, I'd be the same way," James reassured her. He nodded towards the green box in between them. "What's in there?"

She shrugged. "Harby brought it to me a bit ago. He said…he said it's from my mum."

His eyes went wide. "Shut up."

"Harby said he was supposed to give it to me when 'the moment was right.' Whatever that means," Anya replied, eyeing the box as well. She could see on the part of the lid facing her where her mother wrote her name in her infamous cursive scrawl. Her mother had the prettiest handwriting, in Anya's opinion. Every word she wrote looked like a piece of art. "I haven't opened it yet."

"Why?"

"Because…" her voice trailed off as she stared at the stain glass window next to them. "I don't know what's in here. It could be anything…and I didn't want to open it in my dorm. Elsie and Jemma were bound to be back and they'd be nosey about it...and I'm really not in the mood for them."

James understood, as he had a large, albeit silent dislike for her Slytherin girlfriends. "We'll…it's just us back here. You could open it here if you'd like. I can go –"

"No!" she blurted. "You…you can stay. But I don't want to open it here, either."

A comfortable silence fell between them, as they both stared at the dubious box, thinking of places to go where they would most certainly be alone. James stared at the box with a bit of curiosity while Anya stared at the box with uncertainty.

"What's on the seventh floor?" Anya asked.

James shrugged. "Loads of places."

She sighed, slouching back in her chair. "Remember the night we were in McGonagall's office…and Professor Dumbledore's portrait was talking in that ridiculous riddle? Didn't he mention something about the seventh floor?"

Squinting his eyes, James had most of that night blocked out of his memory. But he tried to remember what the former headmaster said. "Something about seeking refuge…"

"And something about how what you're looking for finds you…" Anya added, her elbows now leaning on the table as her index fingers pressed into her temples

Suddenly, James leaned over and began rummaging through his rucksack. Anya looked at him peculiarly as she noticed his arm going into his bag shoulder deep, which held no logic when looking at the bag itself.

"What sort of rucksack is that?" she inquired.

James laughed as he pulled his arm out, a copy of _Hogwarts: A History _in hand. "Aunt Hermione put an undetectable extension charm on it last year for me along with a feather charm so I can carry all of my books with me instead of going back to the dorms."

She gave him a look. "You've got to be kidding me. How lazy can you possibly be?"

"It was either that or keep getting detention and losing house points for being tardy," James replied. "Some of my classes were in a row away from Gryffindor tower – and the bag was getting heavy." Rolling her eyes, she watched as he plopped the book down on his parchment roll of notes and began flipping back and forth through the pages. A few seconds passed before the chapter James was searching for was found. "It's the latest edition," he informed her.

Anya snorted. "You spend too much time with Hermione."

He ignored her sarcastic remark and spun the book around to face her. "Third paragraph," James said.

Her eyes scanned down to where James instructed, reading the text aloud. "_The Room of Requirement, also known as the Room of Hidden things, is a secret room within the halls of Hogwarts. A person can only enter this room when there is a real need. When it appears, it is always equipped for the seeker's needs._" Anya looked up at James and frowned. "Are you sure this book isn't pulling your leg? A hidden room? It doesn't even say where the room is located?"

James looked at her and rolled his eyes in an Anya-like fashion. "Of course it doesn't tell you where the room is. It's a secret room for Merlin's sake."

Anya rolled her eyes back at him and continued to read. "_The Room of Requirement is rumored to have been the headquarters for Dumbledore's Army, founded by Harry Potter shortly after the untimely death of Cedric Diggory, a Hogwarts student tragically killed during the Tri-Wizarding Cup Tournament by Lord Voldemort himself. The British Ministry of Magic at this time refused to accept Mister Potter's word that the Dark Lord had returned, and to enforce this belief, the British Ministry of Magic began to interfere with Hogwarts Lessons. It is in the Room of Requirement where Harry Potter taught his fellow students in secret how to defend themselves from the Dark Arts._"

"I think this is the room Professor Dumbledore's portrait was talking about," James quietly said. "It makes sense."

Continuing to read, this time to herself, her eyes scanned down until she saw a name she recognized. _It is believed that Draco Malfoy was chosen by the Dark Lord to mend a broken vanishing cabinet hidden inside the Room of Hidden Things. Once mended, the vanishing cabinet became a pathway for death eaters to enter Hogwarts Castle. Ultimately, Draco Malfoy was acquitted of all charges by the Wizengamot for making Hogwarts susceptible to attack, as well as any involvement in the death of Albus Dumbledore due to memories preserved from Severus Snape by Harry Potter after the former Headmaster and double agent met a particularly gruesome end at the hands of Lord Voldemort._ Pushing the book away, Anya scowled slightly. She always knew her father had a past that was rarely talked about. She of course, had heard watered down versions of it from her parents and Hermione, but _Hogwarts: A History_, was about as blunt as it could have been.

James looked at the passage Anya had finished reading and frowned. "Your dad isn't a bad person," he told her. "Dad said he didn't have a choice."

"I know," Anya replied with a sigh. "It's just weird…reading it. Knowing others will read it."

"Everyone knows your dad's is a different person," James replied in earnest. "If he wasn't, there's no way Aunt Hermione or my dad would be friends with him."

Anya nodded. "Hermione always said Dad was a bit of a git back when they were kids. Talk about sugarcoating…"

"Well, Uncle Ron was supposed to be Hermione's soul mate, and look what happened," James offered. "People change. Sometimes for the better, like your dad, and sometimes for the worse, like Uncle Ron...dating Lavender when he was with Aunt Hermione."

"Why don't you refer to Lavender as your aunt?"

James shrugged, closing the book and placing it back in his bag. "Because she isn't. Aunt Hermione's my aunt."

"But not really."

"My dad and Aunt Hermione are practically siblings," James replied. "Besides – Lavender is the most irritating person on the planet. Makes my mum go mental any time we're all together." A small silence settling between them as the box on the table garnered an increasing interest. "So…the seventh floor? Shall we take a look?"

Anya shrugged. "I don't know. Do you really think it's up there?"

"No clue. But what's the worst that can happen?" James asked, slinging his rucksack over one shoulder before reaching for Anya's box to carry. "Unless you want to carry it," he offered.

She chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment, her eyes locking with his. "No…" she said, standing up. "You can carry it."

* * *

><p>Much to Hermione's dismay, organizing her space in Draco's study didn't take as long as she anticipated, due to her ability to over-organizing everything. Despite this, Hermione was quite pleased at how her desk, feminine and petite compared to the antique beast of a bureau Draco used, fit in with the décor. She was excited to get started on the book revisions, researching and taking notes. She planned on using Muggle index cards, as she had outgrown her use for scrolls of parchment paper after her Hogwarts days. Hermione loved being a witch, but there were days where she found the wizarding world to be incredibly antiquated. The only thing she wasn't looking forward to was typing her revisions out with a typewriter onto parchment instead of using a computer.<p>

Much to her general dismay, as it went against everything she believed in, she gave in and asked Harby and Vexo to retrieve the majority of her books and clothing from her loft. _It would be easier_, she heard Draco's voice in her head. Harby and Vexo, aware of everything Hermione had accomplished to better their existence, nearly became teary eyed at the request to move _the Hermione Granger's_ belongings and did so with great expedience and care. She knew that house elves liked to serve their masters and being able to do so would bring them an immense amount of joy. Hermione was becoming better about allowing the elves to help her, just as long as they were properly cared for.

With Draco out of the house, doing 'errands' that Hermione knew nothing about; she couldn't help but relish in the silence of the large house she now loved in. Her former life of living as a single person in a downtown London condo was no more. Former feelings of being lonely were all but fleeting as she made her way through the house, collecting a menagerie of toys along the way to put back in the children's rooms. Countless times she could remember Ginny grumbling as she did the same mundane chore, but Hermione relished in it. Maybe the disdain would come later, when the children were older and knew better than to leave a trail of treasures throughout the house, but in this moment, Hermione smiled and laughed with each trinket she collected.

The only piece missing was a child of her own. This seemed to nag at her more and more now that she was becoming a full time caregiver. She wasn't getting any younger. She'd read numerous articles about women who experienced complications bearing children in their thirties, and the older a woman was the list of complications grew. Hermione would shrug the notion away whenever she felt a pang, whether it came from rocking Scorpius to sleep at night or brushing Claire's hair in the morning. She anticipated things becoming serious with Draco, but if life taught her anything, it was life didn't come with guarantees. Even if they did become serious, would Draco even want more children? He already had three. It wasn't like they didn't have their hands full as it was.

She was also slightly nervous about Draco's…expectations after dinner. She knew he hadn't been intimate with anyone but Astoria since his marriage, but Hermione's only experience came from Ron. Though she was well aware of what caused their sex life to fizzle out towards the last year or so of their marriage, but when they were still having sex, Hermione felt like it was the world's biggest chore. She couldn't figure out for the longest time what was different, or what had changed, and then it hit her out of the blue one day as she lay in bed early one evening while Ron was 'helping George,' which turned out to be code for seeing his current wife. The sex hadn't changed. It was more exciting in the beginning because the two of them skirted around each other for so long that when it happened, the heightened emotion of it finally happening supplied their excitement. Then they were engaged, then newlyweds, and with each of those announcements a renewed sense of excitement came over them. Over the years, life became stagnant between the two of them, and the constant clashing over the topic of children took its toll on the two of them. Months after their divorce, Hermione scolded herself over and over again, tell herself that it was her fault. She shouldn't have nagged him. She shouldn't have asked him for something he wasn't ready for. She could have waited. At least that's what she told herself until Ginny snapped her out of it. _If you could have waited, you would_, Ginny would tell her. _Besides – he clearly can't be that opposed to children if he's having one with that cheap bint._

Hermione knew in Ron's mind, he was doing the 'honorable' thing by divorcing her and marrying Lavender before the baby arrived. She knew how he justified his decisions. It still didn't remove the sting of his choices, but there was nothing else left for Hermione to do but wonder what Lavender had that Hermione didn't. Harry and Draco of course, in their own ways since her divorce showed her it wasn't her at all, and that it never a matter of Hermione not being good enough for Ron, but the other way around.

_You shouldn't be nervous, Hermione_, she told herself. _You're attracted to Draco. Physically, mentally, emotionally...and it's his idea. If he didn't want you, the topic wouldn't have come up. Right?_

Depositing the belongings she collected into the appropriate rooms, she suppressed her thoughts, not wanting a wave of what ifs to ruin today. She was quite excited for this date Draco had planned for the two of them. Giving it a proper thought, she wasn't sure if she'd ever been on a date that didn't include The Three Broomsticks – which was Ron's favorite place to go. They never went anywhere else, only because when Hermione could convince him to take her out she didn't feel like watching him scowl during dinner.

Her dress and coat were already picked out for tonight, hanging on the back door of her closet waiting to be put to good use. She bought the dress last year at Ginny's incessant nagging during one of their shopping trips.

"_Where would I even wear this dress?" Hermione asked Ginny with a sigh as she held it up to her. It was a deep purple, satin dress with a strapless sweetheart top and fitted bodice. The skirt was flirty and fun, flowing down to her knees._

_Ginny shook her head. "I don't care where you wear it – it'll look amazing on you."_

"_Ginny…"_

"_Wear it to the Ministry Holiday Party," Ginny suggested quickly. "Wear it to any party. Hell – I'll throw a party just so you can wear it. It's time to get back on that dating horse, Hermione Granger, and this dress will certainly attract a suitor…or ten."_

_Hermione rolled her eyes, draping the dress over her arm. "I don't need suitors, Ginny."_

"_You need to date," Ginny reiterated. "And you need to stop asking Malfoy's opinion about it, too."_

_Rolling her eyes, Ginny and Hermione continued to meander through the store racks. "I don't talk to Draco about my dating life."_

_Ginny couldn't contain the laugh. "Please! You act as if Harry doesn't tell me. The three of you will be out to lunch, you'll mention the latest wizard I'm trying to fix you up with, Malfoy calls him a wanker or adds in his two sickles as to why you should refuse, and you come back to me and say, 'I'm just not feeling up to it.' This, by the way, drives me bloody mad. Since when do you care what he thinks?"_

"_What makes you think I care what Draco thinks?" Hermione quickly replied. _

_Ginny gave her best friend a look. "Because I'm not an idiot, Hermione."_

"_We're just friends, Ginny."_

"_Keep telling yourself that."_

Of course, Ginny wasn't the only one that insinuated that there was something there. Harry would hint at it to Hermione at times, though he was never as bold as his wife. Hermione would always shoot down the thought to anyone that mentioned it. Having been through a divorce and a cheating husband, she never would have let anyone else take a ride in those shoes. She and Draco became acquaintances at work, which allowed their friendship to evolve into what it was becoming today. Hermione was always quick to shoot down the rumors when she heard them. She never wanted to be perceived as improper.

Figuring she had enough time for a long soak in the bath, Hermione tousled her hair as she walked, wondering what she could do to tame her unruly locks for the evening when Harby suddenly appeared in front of her, looking quite shaken.

"What's wrong?" Hermione quickly asked.

Harby cowered slightly. "Harby is here to inform Miss Hermione that Master Draco's father is at the door, but Master Draco makes his wishes very clear about Master Draco's father being on the property."

Scowling, Hermione gave Harby a reassuring pat on the head. "You shouldn't worry about Lucius Malfoy," she said to the startled elf. "He's just a mean old man, a wizard without a wand."

Harby shuttered. "Master Draco's father is frightening to all elves, with or without a wand."

Steeling her nerves, Hermione pulled the ponytail from her wrist and gathered her hair back into a low messy bun before heading down the stairs. She was quite certain the last time she saw Lucius Malfoy in the flesh was when his deranged sister-in-law held a cursed knife at her throat, where she would bear a faint scar forever, just like the scar on the inside of her right arm. Any other time she saw him was inside _The Daily Prophet_, giving the same disdainful scowl she always remembered him to have.

_He's just an insufferable, grouchy old wizard,_ she told herself with each descending step. A brief touch to her front jean pocket, feeling her wand, gave her a bit of reassurance as she rounded the corner and took the final steps where she saw Lucius, waiting in the foyer with both hands resting on his walking staff.

"Draco isn't here," Hermione said, standing on the second to last step, a hand braced on the wooden rail.

She could feel his gaze look her up and down, the ends of his lips frowning slightly. "I see you've taken up residence in my son's home."

"At the request of his late wife," Hermione stated with a clipped tone. "Not that it is any business of yours."

Lucius frowned. "I'm impressed that you dare to speak to me with such disrespect, Misses _Weasley_."

"It's Granger," Hermione sternly corrected. "And I give respect to those that deserve it."

The two stared at each other, neither willing to give into the other. Harby appeared at her side, slightly standing behind her as he kept an eye on the unwanted guest. Hermione perched a hand on her hip, as Lucius appeared to exhale an irritated sigh.

After several minutes, Hermione reluctantly conceded and spoke first. She wanted to take a bath, and would obviously need to clear her head after this little encounter. "If you wish to speak to your son, I believe you know he prefers advance notice."

"I'm aware of my son's preferences, Miss _Granger_," Lucius drawled. "I actually came here to see you."

Hermione reflexively stepped backwards, up a step as Harby protectively moved in front of her. "Well if that's the case, I would prefer notice as well."

"Miss Granger," Lucius repeated with frustration. "All I wish is for a civilized conversation regarding my grandchildren."

"What about your grandchildren?" Hermione asked.

"I wish to be…a part of their lives."

Hermione choked out a laugh. "Well, I'm pretty sure your son will drop dead before that happens. And why now? What's changed? Anya's been around for fourteen years come April and you've never once made this sort of gesture. If your plan is to fill their minds with hate and contempt for those who are different -"

"As much as I'd like to witness a famous Granger lecture on the importance of treating everyone _equally_, I believe I shall pass. However, I am no longer pursuing keeping our family and the Greengrass family together. My son was right in that respect, as Miss Greengrass is a bit…irritating. Astoria at least knew how to be seen and not heard."

Hermione shifted her weight, crossing her arms against her chest. "I will agree with you - Daphne is irritating. And I am glad you have come to your senses as Draco cannot stand her. However, if you wish to be a part of his children's lives, you will have take this up with your son."

Lucius nodded, moving his walking staff to his right side. "I hoped to speak with you as I hoped you would be a bit…more rational."

He had a point there, regardless of his motives. "If you wish to speak to both of us, I will speak to Draco. I will not, however, force him into a conversation he does not wish to have. Do I make myself clear?"

With a final nod, Lucius turned on a heel. Looking over his shoulder, he nodded towards the door. "I will see myself out."

"Please do," Hermione encouraged. The quicker he left in her opinion, the better.

* * *

><p>As the staircases shifted for what Anya believed to be the umpteenth time, she couldn't help but groan so loud that the echo elicited jeers from the hanging portraits on the wall.<p>

"See why I have the extendable charm on the rucksack?" James asked. "Not so lazy now, am I?"

"This is seriously torture," she groused as they stepped off of the sixth floor landing and moved to another set of stairs. "I'm so glad I live in the dungeons."

Dramatically, James rolled his eyes in her direction as they climbed the stairs. Lucky for them, the staircase shifted in their favor on their final climb. Hopping off, they made their way slowly through the deserted halls, looking for any thing that could potentially lead them to the Room of Requirement. They roamed the floor for nearly an hour, earning a peculiar stare from the Fat Lady each time they passed.

For each curious stare the Fat Lady gave, Anya returned with a Malfoy-esque glare. James caught the last one she gave, lightly smacking her upper arm with the back of his hand as they stopped in front of the common room entrance. "Seriously? Who scowls at the Fat Lady?"

"She keeps looking at me."

"Because she knows you're not a Gryffindor," James explained.

"Thank Merlin," Anya retorted.

"Mister Potter!" The Fat Lady crooned, batting her eyes in the direction of James. "Why would such a _lovely_ boy like you have such a _dreadful_ lady friend?

Hotly, Anya put her hands on her hips and stared at the portrait. "Dreadful? Look who's talking!"

James shook his head, placing himself between him and the Fat Lady. "Ignore her," James all but pleaded to the Fat Lady. "She's a Malfoy, after all. She can't help but be rude. You're not dreadful in the slightest. In fact, you look…very pretty today in your dress." Whipping around, he stared at Anya in disbelief. "You cannot insult the Fat Lady!" he hissed. "If you do, she'll weep and weep and be so busy weeping that she won't take the password and open the bloody door! The last time someone made her cry we were locked out for _hours_."

Anya snorted. "Lame."

"She might help us," James whispered. "So keep your trap shut for like, two seconds. Please?" He handed her the box he was carrying for her and waited for her to give a promissory nod before turning back to the Fat Lady. "Fat Lady, may I ask you a question?"

The Fat Lady fluttered her eyes and swooned again. "For the son of the great Harry Potter? Of course! Of course! Ask me anything!"

"Do you know anything about the Room of Requirement, and where we might find it?"

The Fat Lady frowned, looking over James' shoulder at Anya who stared at the box in her hands, her hair hanging around her face. "Am I sensing a need to know?"

James nodded. "Desperately. If you could please help me, I would be forever grateful."

Her eyelids fluttered as she sighed in content. "I mustn't tell you the exact location, but I will give you a hint. Practice always begins at the barre."

"The bar? There's no bar up here…" James said.

"Practice always begins at the barre," The Fat Lady repeated.

"The bar," Anya repeated quietly, before thinking to herself. "_Bar…bar…did they pass a bar? Bar…bar…_barre!" she suddenly exclaimed out loud. "Come on James!" Anya replied. "We need to go back down the Hall of Hexes!"

Confused, James allowed Anya to drag him by the hand as they ran down corridor, turning down the Hall of Hexes. They stopped at the end of the hallway in front of a large tapestry of a Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls how to do the ballet. "Practice begins at the barre!"

"I don't see a bar, Anya," James said, slightly concerned. "I think you're going mental."

"Ballet dancers," Anya stated. "When we warm up at practice, we practice at the barre. B-A-R-R-E. It's French for bar, B-A-R. It's the only thing that makes sense."

James looked up at the faded tapestry, pondering the absurdity of man teaching trolls how to do ballet. Everyone knew they were cumbersome, clumsy creatures. "Ok…but if this is it, how do we get in?"

Sighing, Anya's shoulders slumped as she began to pace back and forth, looking for some sort of hidden entrance way. "I hope it's here," she mumbled, looking at the mortar between the stones in the walls. "Please be here. If not I'm going to have to make up an excuse to go home."

Suddenly, the stone wall across from the tapestry began to shift and adjust until a door appeared. Startled by the noise, James and Anya both jumped, grabbing each other's hand, letting go as quickly as they touched.

"Oh my God," James mumbled the Muggle phrase he'd learned from his father and Hermione.

"Merlin's beard," Anya lightly gasped as the door finished forming. "We found it."

"We found it," James repeated. "You want to go inside?"

She nodded. "Will you go first?"

"Yeah." James walked towards the door and Anya followed, watching as he pushed the door open. "Bloody hell," he gasped as Anya peered inside.

Eyes wide, she walked into what looked like an exact replica of her bedroom at home. _The room is always equipped for the seeker's need_, Anya thought to herself in wonder. She took a seat down on the carpet in front of her bed, leaning against it, as she would do at home when she retreated to her room to be alone. The box in her lap, Anya dragged a hand through the plush cream-colored rug. "It even feels the same," she said to James, who took a seat next to her.

James chuckled. "This is so wicked."

Her eyes went back to the box, drumming her fingers lightly against the lid. "I guess I should open it," she whispered.

He nudged her with his shoulder. "Nothing bad is going to come out of there. Harby wouldn't have given it to you if he thought it would harm you."

Nodding, she carefully opened the lid of the box, finding it filled with stuffed envelopes in her mother's signature, taupe colored stationary. If she tried hard enough, she could close her eyes and smell the floral scent of her mother's perfume as she inhaled. She moved the envelopes around and found a long, velvet box with a smaller matching square box.

James peered in the box as well, looking at the labels on the fronts of the envelopes as he read to himself. _To open upon receiving your box, on your 14__th__ birthday, 15__th__ birthday, 16, 17, 18, Christmases, graduation from Hogwarts, wedding, first child. _"It looks like she has a letter for every occasion," he said to her, pulling out the first envelope. "You should probably read this one first."

Anya took the letter from James, as she found another square shaped velvet box. Flipping it over, she carefully popped the wax seal and pulled the letter from the envelope. Placing the box on the ground next to her, she pulled her knees up towards her chest, propping her arms up against her knees as she held the thin pieces of parchment in front of her, her eyes staring at the cursive scrawl.

_Dear Anya,_

_If you're reading this, I'm obviously no longer here. I feel as if you deserve the largest apology of them all, and I will never have any sort of way of giving you what you certainly deserve. I was not the mother I should have been, and I regret that it was realized too late for me. I loved you Anya, I loved you the moment the healer handed you to me. It just wasn't the same sort of love your father had. I envied him for that, how he was able to love you without any effort. I blame myself and my inability to be different than my own parents. _

_I know you're angry, but please don't stay angry forever. I wish I could make every broken promise I made up to you, but unfortunately, life isn't always fair. You of all people know this._

_You are such a beautiful girl, and one of my favorite things about you (other than your outspoken personality) is that you took after me. Claire and Scorpius will always be recognized as a Malfoy, but you are special. Decades upon decades of firstborn sons for anyone with the Malfoy name were shattered the day you came into the world. _

_You are opinionated, strong willed, stubborn, and caring when others aren't looking. Claire and Scorpius couldn't have received a better older sister to help guide them through life's ups and downs. _

_I'm sure when your father told you about my request of Hermione Granger that you were confused. I know you were unfortunately present for many heated conversations between your father and I about Hermione but I assure you, I had my reasons. Hermione has the capability to be the mother you always should have had and I was reminded of this every time I saw her with you. _

_I remember the first day she met you. You and I were at the Potter's visiting; waiting anxiously for your father and Harry to return from a mission they had been away on for four days. At that point, it was the longest your father had ever been away and I was a nervous wreck. You must have been able to sense it, because you fussed all day. Nothing made you happy. _

_When Hermione came over, she heard your cries as you and James laid together on the floor and immediately picked you up, not even bothering to ask if it was ok. She cuddled you right up to her chest and rocked you, humming something sweet into your ear and at that moment, she'd conquered the one thing I hadn't been able to do all day. I wanted to be so angry at her, for being able to provide you comfort, but I couldn't. All I could do was sigh and say thank you, because the moment you stopped crying relieved a weight from my shoulders. A few hours later, your father returned home, slightly bumped and scraped, and immediately retrieved you from Hermione's arms. At this point you were finally asleep, barely stirring as she gently handed you over to your father. _

_Unlike Claire, who is blunt yet naive about her assumptions, you have always been quiet, reserving your thoughts until the puzzle you're trying to put together is complete. I'm going to give you a piece of the puzzle you were inquiring about at Grandma Jean's house when we all went together. Your father…he loves Hermione. He might be too daft to admit it out loud, but he loves her, and has for a while. Hermione loves him in return, but she, like you, is always cautious of the intentions of others. Of course, after her divorce, I don't blame her in the slightest. _

_When your father and Hermione finally figure it out, please be happy for them - genuinely happy for them. Your attitude will directly impact Claire's impression, as well as Scorpius' when he becomes older. Be happy for them because they are good together, and good for each other. Be happy for them because Hermione's voice of reason will undoubtedly save you as you get older and wish to pursue things your father will be less than enthusiastic about, such as dating._

_(I'm secretly hoping you date James Potter when you get older. I don't care what Aunt Daphne says - he is a very respectable young man and he has obviously become a bit smitten with you, as you two have gotten older. You really couldn't do better.)_

_I'm sorry I made the promise to you to go dress shopping. I knew that day on the platform that I didn't have much more time. I just couldn't bear to break your heart again. Not to your face. Hermione will help you find a beautiful dress. I have no doubt in this. I'm sure Ginny would help you as well. She's quite fond of you as well. _

_I have charmed the other letters (your father thinks he's more gifted than me at charms but I assure you he is not - you get this talent from me) to only open on the proper date, so don't try tearing into them before it's time. This way you have a little piece of me on your most important days. _

_Remember, Anya Katherine Malfoy - I love you more than I could ever convey. Please, if anything, never doubt this. You are a smart, beautiful girl, and one of my biggest regrets is not being able to watch you grow up into the beautiful woman I know you'll be. _

_I love you always._

_Mummy_

_PS: The boxes contain my wedding jewelry. I remember when you were little, and how you would always ask to wear Mummy's pearls. There's a set of earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet your father gave to me the day we were married. Your father has the rest of my jewelry for you and Claire to go through when it's time, but I wanted to make sure you received the pearls, as I know how you loved them dearly. _

Anya didn't even notice she was crying until James handed her a handkerchief from his pocket. Leaning against him, she folded up the letter and placed it back in the envelope. James wiggled an arm, linking it with hers as she hugged his arm in return as her silent tears continued to fall.

"I can't tell you how hard it is to hate her," Anya hoarsely whispered.

"Then why bother?" James gently replied. "It won't change anything."

"I know," she whispered.

The two sat in a comfortable silence, an open letter in Anya's lap with a box of sealed ones sittings next to her. James could feel Anya's tears seeping through the sleeve of his plaid shirt but he didn't mind. He was the only person she ever let her guard down in front of these days, and he had no intentions of making her feel awkward for it.

Anya sniffled and sighed. "Mum called you a 'respectable young man' in my letter."

Chuckling softly, James nudged his knee into hers. He didn't dare read the letter along with Anya. As her eyes scanned her mother's writing, he sat next to her, staring straight ahead until she was finished. "Did she now."

She nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "She also said that when Hermione and Dad figure out that they like each other, I should be happy for them. She thought I didn't have it figured out, but I did. I saw him sitting on top of her at Grandma Jeans in the spare bedroom. I don't know what they were doing, but when I went to get them for lunch, they both looked like Teddy and Victoire did the day we caught them at your grandparents house."

Wide-eyed, James stared at Anya in disbelief. "You're lying."

"Trust me, it was so awkward," Anya said, thinking back to that day. "I think he's liked her for a while though. Do you think Hermione likes my dad?"

Shrugging, James picked at the skin around his short nails. "I hope she does. He makes her happy, and Mum and Dad are always saying that she deserves to be happy. I remember when she came over to the house after Uncle Ron told her about Rosie. I don't think I'd ever seen her so sad, or my father so furious in my life."

"It would be alright, I guess, if they were together," Anya said a few moments later. "Weird maybe, but I'd get used to it." Silence filled the Room of Requirement once more, the tears shed making her eyes tired. "Can we just sit in here a little while?" she quietly asked.

Nodding, he leaned into Anya as she gently pushed back. "We can stay in here as long as you want," he replied. "Or, you know, at least until I get hungry."

Laughing through her tears, she wiped her cheeks with her free hand and shook her head. "I should have expected as much."

* * *

><p>Upon leaving the Granger's home, Draco went through his errands list quite efficiently. He had a small bouquet of pink and white roses to bring home to Hermione, the reservations at Wessex Place – a new restaurant Harry took Ginny to a while back. Both of them raved about the view of the Thames and the food. If Harry and Ginny liked it, Draco assumed Hermione would as well, and that's all that mattered.<p>

He wasn't sure if he should get Hermione anything else. The last time he had nerves this bad was when the realization hit him that he had a daughter, and his father-in-law telling him to get ready, because girls were a completely different game than boys.

Draco nearly asked Harry to come with him, to make sure he was doing everything 'right' but decided that he'd never hear the end of it. When he mentioned to Harry on Friday at work that he was thinking about asking Hermione out on a Valentine's Day date, all he got in response was a knowing smirk.

"_Finally taking the plunge, eh?" Harry beamed. "It's about bloody time, Malfoy."_

"_Shove off, Potter," Draco snarked, sitting down on the couch in Harry's office and sealing the door shut with his wand. "Do you think dinner is enough?"_

_Harry leaned back in his chair and nodded. "You realize she's only ever dated Ron Weasley, right? If you took her to the store and back she'd be thrilled."_

_Nervously, Draco scratched behind his ear with his index finger. "Well…the Weasel and I may have something in common then, as I have never really taken anyone on a date either."_

"_But Astoria," he said, slightly confused. "Surely you took your wife out on dates."_

"_We were arranged," Draco reminded him. "Arranged Wizarding marriages happen after you spend a few months 'courting' one another, and by courting I mean going to wherever our parents planned for us to go. I think we were in public together as a couple maybe six or seven times before the wedding happened. Father said it was done this way to help eliminate doubts."_

"_So what, the quicker the better?"_

"_Essentially."_

_Scratching his jaw, Harry ruefully chuckled. "You know, Malfoy, I'm having a hard time deciding what was worse – growing up with the Dursleys, surviving a killing curse twice – or being you, growing up with a father like Lucius Malfoy."_

_A sad smirk twinged at the ends of Draco's lips. "At least the killing curse rid you of your connection to the Dark Lord. I, on the other hand, have this lovely mark on my arm forever. It looks a hell of a lot more tragic than that measly scar on your forehead."_

"_Fine," Harry bemoaned with a laugh. "You win this round."_

Apparating home from Diagon Alley, where he also managed to pick up a few trinkets for his children, he popped into the living room, the smell of lemon permeating through the air. It smelled like Granger's condo, which meant she obviously had done a bit of light cleaning. He laughed to himself, as he was certain his house elves watched in concealed corners, horrified at someone else doing their job.

Placing the vase of flowers he bought for Hermione on the coffee table, he sent the trinkets he purchased for Claire and Scorpius to their room with a flourish of his wand. He jogged up the stairs of the mansion towards his office, where he found himself pleasantly surprised at the sight of Hermione's work area pristinely organized and set up, ready for her to begin her research. Draco could see himself no longer working late at the Ministry and instead, spending his evenings in his office – his shared office – watching Hermione work while he finished his own paperwork. _This won't be so bad after all_, he said to himself as he sat down at this desk. Grabbing a note with his initials embosses at the top, he reached for one of his muggle pens and scribbled a note to Anya.

_Happy Valentine's Day, YaYa. Miss you terribly, as always. Love, Dad_.

Folding the notice twice, he slipped it underneath the twine wrapped around the brown package containing a charm for her charm bracelet and called for Harby.

"Yes Master!" Harby announced as he appeared in the study. "What can Harby do for Master Malfoy?"

He handed Harby his gift for Anya. "Please take this to the post in Diagon Alley, and have it sent to Anya. I wish for it to arrive by dinner if possible."

"Absolutely!" Harby exclaimed. "Harby will do what Master Draco asks of him at once!"

Draco expected Harby to instantly disapparate to the alley, but instead, he watched as the elf took a step back, his head now hanging. "Harby, what is it?" Draco asked.

Harby sighed. "Harby must tell Master Draco that Master Draco's father came to the mansion today, and spoke with Miss Hermione."

Unable to control the volume of his voice, Draco leapt out of his chair and bellowed. "He _what!"_

Slightly scared, Harby took another step back. "Master Draco mustn't be angry! Mister Malfoy only stood in the foyer and Harby stood in front of Miss Hermione, just like Master Draco would have wanted! Harby would not let anything bad happen to Miss Hermione, Harby promises!"

Draco could tell he frightened the elf, which wasn't his intention. Not to mention the fact that Hermione would have his head if she ever saw him raise his voice in the direction of any of the house elves. "I'm sorry," Draco said after taking a few minutes to regain his composure. "I didn't mean to shout at you. Do you know where Granger is right now?"

Harby nodded as if he understood. "Miss Hermione said she was going to take a relaxing bath a while ago, Sir. Harby hasn't seen her since."

"Thank you Harby," Draco said. He walked over to the elf and gave him a pat on the head. "You're a good elf."

The elf's eyes brightened at the compliment. "Thank you, Sir! Harby is most pleased when his master is pleased! Harby will take this parcel to the post at once!" And with a snap of his fingers, Harby was gone.

Draco left his office and made his way down to Hermione's room, pacing in front of the door for a few moments. He wasn't sure if she would be upset if he went in. On the one hand, both of them slept in there now. On the other hand, if she was still in the bath…naked…he could see where she could potentially get upset, which could then ruin his evening plans.

Evening plans of nudity…lots and lots of nudity.

Ultimately, he decided that her bark was worse than her bite, and carefully cracked the door open. Peering inside, he saw the room empty but the bathroom door open. "Granger?" he called out gently.

"I'm in here," she replied, her voice coming from the bathroom. "You can come in if you'd like."

"You sure?" he asked, trying to make sure his voice didn't sound too eager.

"Contain the excitement - I'm already out of the bath," she said with a laugh.

Approaching the doorway where the bedroom met the bathroom, he saw Hermione sitting on a small bench, wrapped up in a robe as she held one of her legs up, lathering it in what smelled like vanilla…and coconut lotion. "Hello," he said, leaning against the doorway as his arms crossed his chest.

She smiled at him, her damp hair tied back in a messy bun. "Hello," she repeated, her hands massaging the lotion into the calf of her leg. "Errands finished?"

He nodded, arching an eyebrow in her direction. "Harby says you had a visitor."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Your father came, and was gone soon after. I told him if he wished to speak to you that he would have to do so by requesting a meeting, like I know you've asked him to."

Draco grimaced, allowing the doorframe to support the majority of his weight. "He knows not to come here unannounced. I'm sorry."

Shrugging, Hermione applied a large, long streak of lotion to her other bare leg and began to rub it in. "It's not like you sent him here, Draco. You don't have to apologize. Like I told Harby – he's a mean old man, a wizard without a wand. I'm not afraid of him."

He watched as her hands moved a bit more vigorously on her leg. She talked a good game, but he could tell she was put off a bit. Rightly so, of course. Lucius Malfoy may have not have a wand, and may be forced to employ people instead of elves as part of his deal to keep out of Azkaban for the remainder of his life, but his views would never change. Purebloods wizards, in his eyes, would always remain superior.

Excess lotion in her hands, Hermione rubbed her hands up their opposite arms. She motioned for him to come closer with a nod of her head, smiling, as he slowly obliged. "What are you thinking?" she quietly asked, crossing one bare leg over the other.

Looking down at her, he smirked slightly. "A moment ago, I was thinking about how to prevent my father from appearing within 1000 yards of the mansion. Right now, on the other hand, I'm thinking I have a terribly impressive view of your breasts."

She looked down and saw her robe gaping open. Not completely exposed, but not covered up either, her cheeks flushing slightly as she shook her head. "You're incorrigible," she quietly chastised, not quite looking up at him.

Squatting down to her eye level, he gently nudged her chin with his finger so she would look at him. "I think it's cute when you get shy," he admitted.

Hermione bit the side of her lip, slightly shaking her head. "Do you now."

"I do," he mumbled. "Of course, I find most things about you cute, Granger." Dropping down to his knees, he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips.

She giggled as he placed his hands on her waist, leaning towards her as she felt herself slouching, spreading her legs so he could move closer. "Oh really?" she asked in between kisses as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck.

Nodding, his lips moved from hers to her jaw, smirking as he heard her contented sigh. "For quite awhile now," Draco confessed as kisses left a trail from her jaw down her neck.

Hermione felt herself taking slower, deeper breaths as her body reacted to Draco's touch. Her legs acted with a mind of their own, hooking around his waist as her fingers weaved through his hair, his lips moving lower along the edge of her robe. She felt muscles contract in excitement, low in her abdomen, which turned her on in such a way that it most certainly cancelled out any clear train of thought. Weeks after her divorce was finalized, she received a package from her Aunt Shelia on her mother's side. Having been divorced three times, she decided to impart some wisdom on her niece with a neon colored vibrator, an economy-sized package of AA batteries, and a note. _Trust me when I say this will be the best sex you ever have. Hugs and Kisses! ~Aunt Sheila. _

Aunt Sheila hadn't been completely off base, either. Hermione used the personal toy every now and then, merely to satisfy an itch. It was hardly a daily or weekly occurrence, but every now and then, Hermione would cave to the urge - a quick and easy release.

However, as Draco pulled her flush to his lower body, feeling his own excitement pressed up against her, Hermione quickly came to the realization her battery-operated release was about to be retired, hopefully for good. "Draco," she managed to squeak out as he pulled at the barely knotted belt.

"Mmhmm," he replied, kissing the skin between her breasts. She was slouched so far back that his hands around her, pressing into her back, were helping her stay somewhat upright as the only part of her leaning against the wall was the base of her neck. His lips moved back up, tracing a line up her sternum and to her neck again as goose bumps shivered across her skin.

"Draco," she repeated breathlessly. "Are you sure…you want to do this now?"

He looked up at her with a quirked eyebrow. "Are you insinuating that I can't pull off a sexual escapade twice in one day?"

She burst out laughing, clapping a hand over her mouth as she giggled. "A sexual escapade? What am I, some sort of main attraction?"

"You're my only attraction," he replied, his lips crashing to hers, his tongue wrapped with hers as she deepened the kiss.

Carefully, he stood up, taking Hermione with him as she tightened her legs around his waist. It was a quick trip from the bathroom bench to the bed as he carefully set her down, standing over her as he unbuckled his belt. Hermione sat up, her fingers making quick work of the buttons on his shirt. As she stripped him of his shirt, Draco shrugged his pants and boxers down to his knees. His hands tugged at what was left of her belt, peeling the pink satin robe away from her blushed skin as he moved, hovering over Hermione as he admired her. He could see her scars, just as she could see his, each bearing a story of the same time on a different sides. "You're beautiful," he whispered, his lips inches from hers.

"Hardly," she replied as she felt him settle himself between her legs, her folds wet and eager as the feeling in her lower abdomen sparked at the touch. She moaned as his kisses moved to her neck again, his erection causing a delightful friction between her folds, teasing her ever so slightly. As she felt the tip of him pushing into her, she pressed a hand into his chest, halting what she so desperately wanted. But she couldn't control the logical part of her brain that managed to push its way through its lustful haze. "Draco," she quickly said. "You realize there's no going back, right?"

He swallowed the groan and managed to chuckle instead, albeit it somewhat strained. "Hermione, I was aware of that the moment I first crawled into bed with you, and I have no intentions of retreating."

She nodded as he pressed his forehead to hers. "Just so you know, if I'm bad at this, I warned you."

"I haven't had sex since about four months after the conception of my son, Granger," Draco replied. "You'll be lucky if I have the stamina of a over enthusiastic fifteen year old."

Giggling, she lifted her hips, catching Draco off guard as the two slipped into each other, Hermione's voice caught in her throat, as Draco didn't bother holding back with his moan. She felt like it was her first time again as her body adjusted to the large intrusion, only without the horrendous pain that originally came with it. All she felt was pleasure.

Together, as if it were a natural instinct they shared, the two began to move together, their bodies in sync as their lips fused together. Their movements started out slow, torturing one another before their lips broke apart. Draco pulled himself upright, grabbing her hips and lifting them upward as Hermione reached her hands behind her, gripping her pillow tightly as Draco's thrusts began to quicken.

"Granger…Granger I…" Draco panted, doing his best to last as long as he could though he feared he was near the end. She felt better than he ever could have imagined, tight and hot, and the way she clenched around him with each thrust was only adding to is quickly impending end.

"It's ok," she gasped, a hand of hers moved to her breast as she closed her eyes, her fingers playing with a nipple. "I'm so close." It was all he needed to know, picking up the past as his thrusts became frantic, slightly groaning with each thrust as her hips met him with equal speed. "Oh my god, Draco," she panted. "I'm…I'm…Draco!"

The sound of her screaming his name, the feeling of her release around his throbbing erection was all he needed before he too felt his orgasm overwhelm him as he pressed himself deep inside her. He loudly moaned, carefully falling on top of her as he buried his face into her neck, her arms wrapping around his torso. "Holy shit, Granger," his muffled voice said with a laugh.

Hermione laughed, her lips kissing his shoulder. "That was brilliant," she confessed.

"I concur," Draco replied, kissing her neck. "Bloody brilliant." Reluctantly, he pulled out of her and rolled over next to her, catching his breath. Hermione reached for her wand and cast a cleaning spell before placing a warming charm on the room as they were still on top of the bedding. Cuddling up next to her, he draped a leg over hers and smirked. "Probably a good thing this happened now. Five minute sex after a romantic date doesn't sound all that great now that I think about it."

She laughed, clapping a hand on top of her chest as she felt Draco hide his own laugher, his face burying into her neck again as he hugged his arm around her. "You're right. That doesn't sound romantic at all."

"So really, we did ourselves a favor," Draco replied, plucking a finger against Hermione's nose as she turned to face him. "Though for five minute sex…it was pretty fantastic."

Leaning in, she kissed him softly as a hand caressed his cheek. "I agree. But you realize I'm going to have to wash again, now that I'm all sweaty and gross."

"Good thing we have plenty of time before dinner then," Draco muttered against her lips. Kissing her was his new favorite hobby. Once he started he found it hard to stop. "We could take a nap together…and then save time by showering together afterwards…"

"Save time, Hermione mumbled, smiling as she kissed him. "How efficient."

Draco reached an arm behind him and yanked the covers open, lifting his body so he could crawl underneath them. Once settled, he held them up as Hermione did the same. They immediately snuggled back up to each other, Hermione resting on her back as Draco laid on his side, an arm wrapped around her waist. "What can I say?" he asked with a cocky grin. "You're rubbing off on me."

She rolled her eyes and cuddled closer, smirking slightly as she exhaled. "Merlin knows it could only help."


	20. Chapter 20

_**I never really comment about reviews, because quite frankly I'm just overwhelmed that my stories have as many as they do. However - I feel like I need to make a confession. I am now, and will always be, the world's biggest Ron and Hermione shipper. I love JK Rowling, I love Harry Potter, and I love Ron and Hermione together. I truly feel like they are just meant to be. **_

_**Obviously it's been a cruel twist of fate, writing Draco/Hermione fiction, but that's where the brain went so I rolled with it. Maybe I'll write a R/H story someday. Maybe I won't. **_

_**But to the commenter fanfd who said she couldn't ready this story because my character's were completely out of character, let me use my littlest sister's new favorite word: DUH! Of course it's out of character you nitwit. If it wasn't, Draco and Hermione would have been together in the Epilogue. **_

_**Again, duh.**_

_**With that said, I know this is shorter than my recent chapters, but I felt like it was complete at the end. I'm working on the next chapter, and after that I will probably take a short break from the Request to work on finishing Show Me What I'm Looking For. My OCD is kicking into overdrive about that story not being complete.**_

_**Happy Reading!**_

* * *

><p>Draco had been dropping hints here and there in recent days about Hermione making her move into the mansion permanent. Permanent as in all of her belongings in the mansion and selling her downtown London condo. Each time he mentioned it, she'd nod her head and ho hum, going along with whatever suggestion he'd come up with or reason as to why she should get rid of it.<p>

"I mean, you don't plan on moving back to it, do you?" he asked one night over dinner.

"No," she quickly replied as she moved the small container of butter out Scorpius' reach seconds before he had a chance to maul his hand into it…again. "Of course I don't plan on moving back." She also didn't plan on getting divorced and having to move out of her own house either while her ex-husband shacked up there with his new family, either, but she wasn't about to say that out loud.

When Hermione seemed unresponsive to the idea of selling her condo and Draco would pry for a reason why, she would shrug him off and tell him she understood what he was thinking, but she was just thinking about other things, like Anya and finding a dress for the upcoming Spring Fling. It was a few weeks away, and Anya had mentioned several times in her letters that she now wasn't sure if she was going, but if she changed her mind last minute, she should have a dress. The mention of a certain, raven-haired boy was also suddenly becoming conspicuously absent from her letters as well which had Hermione curious.

Late one night, as Hermione lay in bed, her mind not even close to a point where she could shut it off, she felt Draco stir and roll towards her, his arm coming between her naked torso and the sheets as it pulled her close. Hermione still hadn't mentioned Lucius' intentions behind his visit, which had been weighing heavily on her mind along with this business of getting rid of her condo. This wasn't the first sleepless night she'd had. In fact, she'd been sleeping better than she'd ever been once she and Draco started sharing a bed. Hermione had forgot how much she missed being cuddled up to someone, or how much she loved being held as she finally gave into sleep. But tonight, like every night since the topic of the condo began, had her mind ticking relentlessly.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" he mumbled, his lips pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

"I can't sleep sometimes," Hermione replied with a whisper.

He cracked an eyelid open and looked up at her. "Do I need to get a draught?"

"No," she replied. "Sleep will come. It always does."

"Granger…" Draco half groaned, her name muffled against her arm as he kissed her again. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Obviously something is wrong," he pointed out, stifling his own yawn as he propped himself up in bed a bit. He glanced over at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was a little past one in the morning. "Seeing how I have to be awake in five hours to get ready for work, why don't you just tell me, so I don't have to guess."

Hermione rolled her neck, her head pointing in his direction as she gave him her best attempt at a reassuring smile. "Everything's fine," she told him. "Go to sleep."

"Do I need to shag you to sleep?" he teased, pulling her closer as she laughed. "Because I thought earlier would have done the trick."

She shied away, snickering as she felt his hands playfully groping her bottom. "Don't you even think about it, Draco Malfoy. I'm going to be waddling around this house tomorrow as it is."

Freezing, he looked at her with an apologetic demeanor. "Did I hurt you? Was I too rough? Was I -"

"Shhh," she cut him off, pressing a finger to his lips. "I didn't say any of those things so don't go and be all you about it. It just got a little…wild there towards the end."

He laughed, catching her lips with his as he kissed her soundly. "I believe you were the instigator, Miss Granger." Wrapping her arms around his neck, she hugged him tightly before he rolled her towards him, her head resting against the crook of his neck. Sighing, she shivered as Draco pulled the blankets back up over her so that only her head was peeking out. "Are you meeting Anya on Saturday in Hogsmeade?" she heard him ask.

Nodding, Hermione draped a leg over his and closed her eyes as his hand lightly massaged her neck. "I'm going to take Claire with me. You and Scorp can have a boy's day."

"Mmhmm," Draco agreed as he yawned. "So are you going to keep avoiding the question?"

"I'm not avoiding anything," she replied, lying through her teeth. "I'm feeling better already. Maybe you were just too far away." That part was the truth, though Draco's fingers kneading her neck and shoulder were probably helping her get there. "Good night, sweetheart," she mumbled as her eyes grew heavy.

He kissed her forehead, his eyes already closed as he hugged Hermione close. "Good night love."

* * *

><p>"Ok, so let me get this straight."<p>

Hermione stood in the study she and Draco now shared the following morning, Scorpius crawling around on the floor pushing a car while he rumbled his lips together as Harry stood in front of her, slightly out of breath as he rested his hands on his knees, his wand clenched in his hand.

"You send me a patronus, telling me to - get here quickly - and it's an _emergency_," Harry emphasized, looking up at her with a pointed stare. "When really, it's isn't an emergency _at all_."

Haughtily, Hermione placed her hands on her hips and scoffed. "He said _love_, Harry! As a term of _endearment_! How is this _not_ an emergency!"

Scorpius drove his car over to Harry and rammed it into his foot before standing up and holding his arms towards him. "Ana hold you," Scorpius stated.

Harry smirked at the tow headed toddler and scooped him up, setting him on his hip as Scorpius immediately went to reach for Harry's glasses, only to find his stubby hands deflected. "He's talking more…and making sense at that."

Hermione smiled as she nodded. "He's getting there. I keep telling Claire to stop speaking for him so he'll talk more."

"Care!" Scorpius exclaimed. "Where Care? Care here?"

"No, Claire is at school," Hermione said, enunciating her words clearly towards the little boy.

"Scoo," Scorpius repeated. "Where Dad?"

"Daddy is at work," Hermione replied.

"Wook," Scorpius repeated again. "Dad wook."

Harry smirked at Hermione's tone, flashing back to his days at Hogwarts when Hermione would use her half-mothering/half teacher tone to get him and Ron to do homework for hours on end in the library. Shifting Scorpius to his other hip, he looked at Hermione, his eyebrows raised. "So are we going to get back to the topic at hand?"

Hermione crossed her arms against her chest. "Harry, he never says love. Ever. Unless it's towards the children, obviously. Why would he say that?"

Harry laughed, and Scorpius mimicked his response. "I don't know, Hermione. You're the brightest witch of our age - why do you think he said it?"

She vehemently shook her head no. "No. Absolutely not. We're not there yet."

"You've been there for awhile," Harry countered. "A long while actually. You both were just distracted by life to see it."

She sighed, looking down at her feet as she leaned against her desk. "Harry I…" she started to speak, but stopped. Feeling her suppressed emotions bubbling to the surface, she closed her eyes and breathed in deep, quietly exhaling as she collected herself and her thoughts. Hermione felt a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

She looked up and saw Harry standing closer to her, his head cocked with a crooked grin as Scorpius eyed her peculiarly. "It's ok you know."

"What's ok?"

"To be happy," Harry said. "To be in love. To be scared."

Hermione chewed hard on the inside of her cheek as she willed away her tears. "I don't want to sell my condo," she confessed to him. "But if I tell him I want to keep it he'll think I want a way out and I don't want a way out, but he won't see it that way."

Harry shrugged, and Scorpius shrugged as well. "Then don't sell it," he replied. "But Hermione, if you're worried that Draco's going to get sick of you, or find someone else, you shouldn't. He loves you."

She looked away, staring at a bookcase stacked to the brim with books as she let a bitter laugh escape her lips. "How many times did you say that about Ron?"

"Hermione…"

"I just don't want to be left with _nothing_…again," she said, quickly wiping a tear away. "You don't know what it feels like to start completely over. The only thing I took out of that house was my books, my clothes, and some photographs."

Harry put Scorpius down and handed him his car again to distract the child. As Scorpius lips rumbled again, Harry stood toe to toe with his best friend and enveloped her in a bear hug. "If Draco's proven anything this past year, it's that he doesn't leave people," he whispered in her ear. Pulling away, he nudged a tear of hers away from her cheek with a gentle swipe of a knuckle. "I'm telling you, with words I never thought I'd ever utter, that Draco Malfoy is hopelessly in love with you."

She choked out a laugh along with a sniffle. "I wouldn't say hopelessly."

"I beg to differ," Harry replied, pressing a brotherly kiss to her forehead. "He loves you, Hermione, and you need to have faith in that. He isn't Ron."

Hermione sniffled again as she nodded. "I know he isn't." She reached out and hugged him, feeling better as Harry hugged her back. He truly was the brother she never had, and she loved him dearly for it. Her thumb swiped her tears away that fell just past the tops of her now flushed cheeks. "I'm certain this seems incredibly silly to you…"

Harry shook his head as Scorpius wandered back over between them. His arms stretched towards Hermione, he watched as she scooped him and perched him on her hip, her nose nuzzling his hair as he hugged her. "I don't think it's silly. However, I'm sure if you just talk to Draco about this, he'll understand."

"I told him I was quitting the Ministry and he accused me of leaving him," Hermione replied with a snort. "Understanding and logical thinking aren't exactly Draco's strong points when his emotions are attached."

Harry laughed. "I think you're little bout of silent treatment taught him a lesson. Just talk to him. That's what you tell me all the time when I have to talk to Ginny about something I don't want to tell her."

"Touché."

He kissed her cheek and tickled Scorpius' belly, eliciting a cackle from the little boy. "Don't stress, Hermione. Just talk to him."

Nodding, Hermione readjusted Scorpius on her hip and sighed. "Thanks for coming over, you know…during the work day."

Laughing once more, he pulled his wand out of his pocket and shrugged. "It's not like you wouldn't have done the same. I however, wouldn't have feigned an emergency."

Blushing, she chewed on her lip as he mockingly shook his finger at her. "I won't do it again. Promise."

"Of course you won't," Harry replied with a grin, not believing her for a second. A quick wave goodbye, Harry disapparated from the Malfoy Mansion, leaving Hermione alone with a two year old and her thoughts.

Sighing, Hermione realized she wasn't going to get a whole lot done today. Usually, this would bother her, but she was rather ahead of schedule despite only working on the project for a few weeks. Deserting her office, she carried Scorpius downstairs to the kitchen for lunch, with a movie and a nap in their eminent future.

* * *

><p>Draco hadn't picked up Claire from school since she returned from winter term. His work managed to catch up with him, and while he knew Jean was more than willing to fetch his daughter from St. Agnes every day, it still made him feel guilty. When he realized that his Friday was a light day, Draco decided to send an owl to the Granger's practice to let them know he would be retrieving his daughter from school today.<p>

With a quick goodbye to his secretary, Draco left the Ministry in what he noticed to be a pleasantly good mood. He'd noticed in recent days that his steps felt a little bit lighter, and his shoulders less burdened than they had been in months. He of course had Hermione to thank for that, as he made a point to tell her at least once a day how much he appreciated her. Choosing to walk the ten blocks to Claire's school instead of disapparating, he adjusted the scarf around his neck with his leather-gloved hands before shoving them back into his long, black wool coat.

Spring was near, as the remaining snow on the ground was mostly dirty grey slush where the grass met the pavement. He couldn't remember the last time he took a walk without his mind reeling about things that set his teeth on edge. Instead, he was thinking about how to convince Hermione into moving all of her belongings into the mansion, as it was pointless in his opinion for her to keep disapparating back to her condo when she needed something. She lived in the mansion - her things should be there too. It made perfect sense to him.

Stopping at the coffee shop a block away from the school, Draco picked up a black coffee for him and a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream for Claire, knowing that it would most likely make her day. A cup in each hand, Draco found himself standing outside of the school near the wrought iron fence with other parents, waiting for a few minutes before the gates opened, the doors spilling open with students who were eager for the weekend to begin. Holding one of the cups to his chest with his forearm as the hand attached to said arm held the other, Draco pulled his phone from his pocket, calling his driver and asking him to meet him at the school instead of the Ministry as he couldn't very well disapparate with Claire back to the Ministry, or walk ten blocks with her in the cold.

As he hung up, he heard a loud bell ring and heard the doors shove open as students appeared. The gates opened, and Draco, back with a cup in each hand, kept an eye out for his curly, blond headed princess. It didn't take long for him to see her, skipping out of the school with her friend, Sarah. He smiled at the sight of his daughter, appearing to be back to her normal, happy self. He caught her eye and gave her an eyebrow wiggle as he heard her squeal.

"Daddy! Daddy what are you doing here!"

Squatting down, he opened his arms, careful not to spill anything on her as he accepted her fierce hug. Kissing her cheek, she let go and he handed her the hot chocolate with her name on it, exchanging it for her pink and green backpack. "I had an early day and decided to pick up my princess from school," he replied. "Did you have a good day?"

She nodded; taking a sip of her hot chocolate as Draco motioned for her to follow as they walked towards the black town car now parked a few feet away. "I painted three pictures today in art class and I got a gold start sticker on my spelling words and I won the race in gym class!"

Draco chuckled at her rattling, arriving at the car. The driver was outside waiting to open the back door as Claire crawled in first. "It sounds like you had an eventful day, Claire Bear."

"I did," Claire agreed as her father sat down next to her, watching as his father levitated his drink in the air wandlessly as he removed his gloves and placed them in his pocket. "And Hermione is taking me to Hogsmeade tomorrow with her so we can meet Anya and take her to get a dress for her dance!"

Sipping his coffee, Draco leaned back as the driver pulled out into traffic. Claire curled up next to him as he draped his free arm around her. "Sounds like you're in for a fun weekend."

Claire nodded as she took a drink of her hot chocolate. "The funnest."

The remainder of the ride home was filled with random chatter from Claire about her day, Draco zoning out about midway through while managing to give her an obligatory 'uh huh' and an 'I see' to keep the conversation moving. About ten minutes away from the mansion, Claire looked up at her father with a pensive look. "Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can," Draco replied.

Claire pursed her little lips together for a moment before speaking. "Is it ok if I love Hermione like I loved Mummy?"

Draco looked at his little girl with concern. "Sweetheart, why would you ask me that?"

She shrugged. "We were reading stories today in class and talking about families, and that there's all sorts of different kinds of families, and then we each talked about our families. Did you know that sometimes kids can have two mummies or two daddies?"

He nodded. "I did."

"And did you know," Claire continued. "That sometimes kids can have two mummies and two daddies, because the mummy and daddy don't stay married or sometimes a mummy or a daddy could pass away like my mummy."

Draco continued to nod, waiting to see where this was going, and more curiously, where it was manifesting.

"There's a boy in my class, and his name is Xander, and he said he had a stepmum but he didn't really like her because she doesn't do fun things with him and his sister," Claire said. "And then I said that I had a mummy in heaven and a daddy and a Hermione, and that she wasn't my stepmum but she loves me lots and I love her just like I loved my mummy and that's when Xander said that it was impossible because you're not supposed to do that."

Prying her half empty cup of hot chocolate out of her hand, he placed his empty cup and hers into the cup holder in front of them and picked Claire up, placing her on his lap. "Did Xander say _why_ you can't love Hermione like you love your mummy?"

She shrugged. "He just said you can't, because his sister said so."

"Well, Xander's sister is wrong," Draco replied. "And it's perfectly fine for you to love Hermione just like you love your mummy. Do you want to know why?"

Claire nodded fervently.

"Firstly, because your mummy picked her out of _everyone_ to take care of you, and to be a mummy to you, Scorpius, and Anya," Draco said, his voice soft but firm as he looked her in the eye. "And secondly, and by far most importantly, it's ok to love Hermione that much because I promise you that Hermione loves you back just as much, if not more. There aren't rules that say who you can love and how much, Claire."

She leaned her head against her father and exhaled a sigh of relief. "Daddy?"

"Yes Claire."

"Do you love Hermione? Do you love Hermione like you loved Mummy?"

Scrunching his face, Draco wasn't sure how to answer this question. Honesty, of course, is always the best policy but his daughter was only six.

"Daddy?" Claire asked. "Do you love Hermione?"

He lightly plucked the tip of her nose before moving his face as close to hers as possible. "Hermione is someone very, _very_ special to me."

As the car parked and the engine stopped, Claire reached for her hot chocolate as Draco handed it to her. "But do you love her?"

Draco smiled at his daughter. "If I say yes, do you promise not to tell her?"

"Why?"

"Because Daddy wants to be the one to tell her. It's more special that way," Draco confided in her, surprised at his lack of nerves with his confession. "Do you promise not to tell her?"

She nodded, holding out her free hand with her pinky pointed at her Dad. "I pinky promise."

He smirked, linking his pinky with hers. Draco hadn't had a pinky promise since Anya was about this age; only Draco usually initiated her pinky promises, when they would keep their fun days a secret from Astoria because Draco didn't have the tolerance to deal with his wife's bouts of nonsense. "Thanks, Claire Bear."

Claire leaned in and gave her father a light peck on the lips. "I love you Daddy."

"Love you too," he replied. "Now let's get inside and tell Hermione all about your day."

As the driver opened the door, Claire climbed out and skipped up to the front door as Draco climbed out behind her, carrying her backpack and matching lunch box inside. Harby was waiting for him at the door, taking the lunch box and his coat from his master, as he already held Claire's red pea coat draped over his arm. "How was Master's day at work?"

"Decent," Draco replied. "Thanks for asking. How were things here today?"

"Uneventful, just how Master likes it!" Harby exclaimed. "Misses Hermione is napping with Master Scorpius in her bedroom, and Vexo has already started preparing dinner."

Draco nodded as Claire walked over to him. "I can't find Hermione, Daddy. I want to show her the pictures I drawed at school."

"Hermione is taking a nap with your brother," Draco told her. "Why don't you see if Harby can set up your paints in the kitchen and you can paint until dinner is ready while I check on them."

She grinned. "Ok! Harby can you help me?"

"Of course Harby will help Miss Claire!" Harby exclaimed.

Draco was aware that Claire liked to share her paint with Harby, and that he secretly enjoyed painting. As the two of them scampered off to the kitchen, Draco made his way upstairs quietly, avoiding the steps that creaked as he reached the second floor. Once at her door, he quietly pushed it opened and found his son sucking his thumb with his back curled up against Hermione who had a protective hold around him as the two of them shared a pillow. Even as she slept, he could see the love she had for his only son and the sight of it all did funny things to his heart. He crept over to the side of the bed and placed a light kiss on his son's head. He stirred slightly, and Draco watched as Hermione pulled him closer.

"Mum…mum…" Scorpius mumbled, his thumb dropping from his mouth, startling him awake. As Draco brushed a hand over his blond curls, Scorpius blinked his eyes a few times before grinning. "Dad!"

Draco quickly shushed him as he gently moved Hermione's arm so Scorpius could crawl towards him. Scooping him up, he hugged his son tight and kissed his cheek. Scorpius let go and looked over at Hermione. "Shh," Draco said again. "Hermione's sleeping."

"Seeping," Scorpius whispered. "Care here, Daddy?"

He nodded. "Claire's in the kitchen painting. If you ask her nicely, she might share." Draco placed Scorpius on the ground and watched him scamper off towards the back staircase. He followed him to the staircase, watching as he made his way down the stairs by himself before returning to Hermione's room. Draco peeled his shoes off and pulled at the knot of his necktie as he crawled into bed with Hermione. Leaning in, Draco kissed her gently on the lips. She mumbled incoherently, reaching a hand up to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Hello," Draco whispered.

Sleepily, Hermione smiled as her eyes stayed closed. "You're home," she murmured.

"I had a light day," he replied. "I even picked Claire up from school."

She smiled, cracking her eyes open. "I'm sure she was excited to see you. Did you put Scorpius in his room?"

"No, he just woke up a second ago. I sent him downstairs to Claire, who's painting in the kitchen," Draco informed her as Hermione cuddled close. "I should have taken Scorpius with me to work and put him in daycare. I knew you didn't sleep well last night."

"It was fine," Hermione replied. "We ate lunch, watched a movie, and took a nap. It was actually a nice day. He's almost as good as Claire when it comes to cuddling."

"But not as good as James," Draco countered with a playful scoff.

She laughed, rolling onto her back as she stretched her arms up over her head, exposing a bit of her stomach. "James will always be my favorite cuddle bug, and it's quite a shame that he's too old now. He never moved, never twitched, never flung and arm…"

Draco stifled a snort. "Just how much time did you spend with that child?"

"Lots," Hermione replied, her hands smoothing out her shirt before settling to fiddle with the hem. "Especially after the divorce. James and I had many sleepovers during the week. Harry and Ginny knew I was lonely and too stubborn to admit it…and James didn't understand why he didn't see me at the Burrow anymore, so we had play dates. I think eventually James realized I was sad though, and he would just ask Harry and Ginny if he could come over so I wouldn't…be alone."

Moving closer to her, Draco brushed a stray curl away that had fallen from her ponytail. "Granger," he whispered, kissing her gently as his hand cupped her cheek. "I'm never going to leave you."

She brushed her fingers through his blond hair. "Never say never," she whispered.

"Malfoys don't make promises they don't intend to keep, love," Draco quietly replied.

"You did it again," she replied, biting her lower lip.

"Did what?"

Hermione felt her cheeks flush. "You called me 'love' last night…and then again. Just now. Why do you…why do you say that? You've never said that. Not to me, at least."

Draco blushed at her accusation, not at all realizing that it even came out of his mouth once, let alone twice. As his last full sentence repeated in his head, he realized it came out as easy as the rest of the words, without a second thought. Looking at her, he could see she was incredibly anxious, waiting for him to respond as she went from fiddling with her shirt to picking her nails. Carefully, he grabbed both of her hands with one of his and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Hermione, I –"

"Just wait," she replied quickly, her nerves catching slightly in her throat. "Before you say anything, just…just know it isn't going to change my mind about the condo. I know you want me to sell it and move in permanently then that is something I can do but I just can't sell the condo and if that's going to be a deal breaker then –"

His mouth crushed against hers, kissing Hermione soundly before pulling away, his trademark smirk dancing across his lips as he succinctly ceased her rambling." Have you been wound up about me asking you sell the condo? Is this why you couldn't sleep last night?"

It was her turn to blush. "Can you blame me?" she asked. "After the way you went barking mad about me quitting the Ministry…I just didn't want a repeat of the 'I'm not leaving you' conversation."

"Granger, those are two completely different things," Draco replied with a chuckle. "If you don't want to sell the condo, then don't."

"How are they two completely different things!" Hermione exclaimed, pushing him out of her way as she bolted upright.

Draco shrugged. "Because my children live here, and even if you ever decided to…well, if we you know, decided not to be…together…my children live here, and I know you wouldn't abandon them. I just assumed it would be a waste of money to let your condo sit empty."

"My condo is paid for," Hermione replied quietly. "I used some of the money given to me after the war to pay for it. It was the first time I'd even touched it. I was saving it for…well, it doesn't matter now." She looked up at him and bit her lips together for a moment. "My condo is paid for."

Nodding, Draco reached out and grabbed her hand again, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "But you'll move your stuff into the mansion?"

She gave him one succinct nod, stifling her laugh as he broke out in a grin from ear to ear. "If that's what will make you happy, then yes, Draco. I'll pack up all of my things again and let you move them into the mansion."

"You'll let me move them?" Draco questioned.

Hermione laughed. "You're the one that wants my stuff here, therefore you can lead the charge. Though if I were you, I'd wait for spring vacation so you'll have James and Teddy at your disposal, along with Harry. There are a lot of books in that condo, you know."

Draco snorted. "Yes, Granger, I remember. As does my back…and arms…and legs."

Looking down, Hermione began playing with the hem of her shirt again. "So…now that the condo issue is cleared up, um, what were you, you know…what were you going to say?"

Scooting closer to her, Draco nudged her chin upwards with his finger. "I was going to say that I love you, Hermione Granger. I have for a while." As he watched her cheeks blush, Draco leaned close to her, kissing her lightly. "Plus, I kind of told Claire that I loved you today in the car, and we all know she's the world's worst secret keeper. I reckon I had to tell you before she stole my thunder."

Hermione giggled, kissing him back. "She really is the worst secret keeper."

"Definitely," Draco agreed.

"And how, may I ask, did you and Claire even come across this topic?" Hermione inquired.

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's a long story, which I'm sure Claire will tell you all about at dinner." He moved so that he was sitting up against the dark oak headboard, propping a pillow up behind him. Hermione shifted in the bed towards him, bringing her knees up to her chest. "You know, I never would have suggested selling the condo if I thought it was going to send you into a bit of a bender."

Hermione playfully nudged him with her shoulder. "I didn't expect it to, honestly. I guess the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn't want to not have it. I know I don't need it. I just…" she tossed her arms over her knees, her hands clasped together as she sighed. "If we've learned anything in life, it's that nothing's permanent. Call it a safety net or whatever you want, but I went my entire life without one and I paid the price."

He reached out, stealing one of her hands as he laced his fingers with hers. "I can handle that," he said, pressing a kiss to her temple. Draco knew Hermione was a believer in actions speaking louder than words. She always had been. She was logical, precise, and had a rhyme for every reason, and though it had the ability to grate his nerves from time to time, Draco wouldn't dare change her. It was the quirks he once found irritating as a child that he'd come to love about her over time.

"And who knows," Hermione added, giving his hand a squeeze. "Maybe Anya can use it when she's done with Hogwarts. It would be a great first home away from home."

"I don't even want to think about Anya being that old," Draco mumbled. "She's growing up too quick as it is."

Hermione grinned. Resting her head against his arm, she sighed with content. "The feeling's mutual, by the way."

"Huh?" Draco asked, his thoughts still caught up on the fact that his daughter would be graduated with Hogwarts before he knew it.

She looked up at him, her chin propped up on the top of his shoulder. "I love you too," she quietly replied. "I didn't think I'd say that to anyone again…least of all you," she finished with a giggle.

"Gee, thanks," Draco replied, feigning a hurt tone of voice.

"But I am, and I do," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his arm and hugging it tight.

Draco exhaled a sigh of relief he didn't realize he was holding. He wasn't sure if she'd say it back to him once he confessed, whether it be today, or weeks - even months from now. That's not to say he wouldn't have waited. Draco didn't have patience for most people, but Hermione Granger was the exception to all of his rules.


	21. Chapter 21

**_Frequent updates are clearly a result of some work downtime. Of course, that's about to change in a few weeks but I may as well take advantage of it while it's here :)_**

* * *

><p>Hermione sat inside Madam Malkin's store with a grin on her face, watching as Claire had commandeered the store, along with the sales lady as she pointed out things for her sister to try on, and what to stay away from. Anya watched as well, standing in front of the three fold mirror, smirking as Claire told the woman how to do her job. "Dresses are my area of expertise," they both overheard Claire tell the sales lady in her most serious voice. "And no yellow," Claire said from behind a dress rack. "Yellow will look awful on her. Mummy always said so."<p>

"It's true," Anya commented, looking over at Hermione who gave her a soft smile in return. "Not that it matters. I hate yellow anyway."

"Too Hufflepuff for you?" Hermione teased.

Anya laughed. "No, but we can certainly add it to the list of reasons." She scratched her arm over the baggy maroon jumper she was wearing. It was James' jumper, and she'd borrowed it one night in the library and had yet to return it. It also happened to be quite comfortable to sleep in, though most Weasley jumpers were. While they waited for Claire and the sales lady to return, Anya walked off of the carpeted podium in front of the mirrors and took a seat next to Hermione. "How's Dad?"

"Really good," Hermione reassured her. "It was hard at first, of course. Your dad was upset because Claire was very up and down for a while, but things are settling down a bit."

Anya nodded, feeling somewhat guilty for returning to school upon hearing this about Claire. But Hermione and her father both encouraged her to do what was best for her, and Anya knew she would have lost her mind without having school as a distraction. "And Scorp?"

"He's just moving along," Hermione said fondly. "He's starting to use words in somewhat coherent sentences, but I know he misses you. Anytime you send an owl and Claire says your name his face lights up like magic. Just wait. You'll see at lunch."

Grinning, Anya linked her arm with Hermione and sighed. "I never said thank you, you know. For not telling my mum to bugger off when she asked you to take care of us."

"Anya Katherine Malfoy. When have you ever heard me say bugger off?" Hermione asked, poking Anya's arm.

"You know what I mean, Hermione."

She leaned over and pressed a firm kiss to the top of her head. "She didn't even have to ask."

Claire eventually returned with what appeared to be a somewhat frazzled sales lady, who had dozes of dresses in all sorts of colors and styles draped over each arm. "This should be a good start," Claire said, pointing to the empty dressing room as she spoke to her sister. "And I want to see all of them."

Rolling her eyes, Anya gave her sister a mock salute as she hoisted herself up off of the sofa where Hermione sat, handing over her wand. "So I don't accidentally throw a hex at her," she half joked.

Hermione shook her head disapprovingly as she took Anya's wand, though it was hard to suppress the smirk. She may have been a spitting image of her mother but she was certainly Draco's daughter. She watched as Anya closed herself off in the dressing room while Claire played on the carpeted podium, spinning and watching herself swish back and forth in her own dress - a long sleeved, blue and white paisley print dress with matching blue tights. The two of them nearly had a war that morning over wearing tights, as Claire kept pointing out that it was March while Hermione countered with the fact that it was still too cold outside for bare legs, but Hermione won in the end.

"_If you don't wear tights, you cannot go," Hermione firmly stated, her hands on her hips. "It's your choice." _

_Her big grey eyes welled up with tears as she exclaimed quite angrily. "I won't wear those stupid tights and you can't make me!" _

_Draco suddenly appeared in the door, Scorpius perched up on his shoulders. "What in the bloody hell is all the commotion about in here?" _

"_Language!" Hermione exclaimed._

"_Daddy!" Claire wailed, throwing her arms around his legs. "Hermione is being mean and making me wear tights and I don't want to wear tights anymore! It's March! Mummy never made me wear tights in March and I'm not wearing these stupid dumb tights and she can't make me!" _

_Draco looked down at his daughter as Scorpius did the same. "Claire, Mummy rarely dressed you, I did. And I always put tights on you when you had to still wear a coat outside, and you're going to have to wear a coat when you go to Diagon Alley. We also don't say stupid or dumb." _

_Claire sniffled, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "But Daddy -"_

"_Claire." Draco stated as he pulled Scorpius from his shoulders and set him down. "If Hermione says you have to wear tights then you have to wear tights."_

"_But Daddy!" _

"_No buts," Draco replied. "Now apologize to Hermione for your tantrum. I know you want to see your sister today and I'd hate to have a silly pair of tights ruin your day. I'll keep you here with me until we meet up with them for lunch." _

_Sniffling again, Claire turned around and looked at Hermione for a moment, before returning her gaze to her bedroom floor. "I'm sorry, Hermione," her meek voice squeaked. "I just don't want to wear the tights because they itch." _

_Hermione smiled at the little girl. "Sweetheart, I have a charm to take care of that. All you had to do was tell me why you didn't want to wear them." _

_She wiped her eyes and looked up. "Really?" _

"_Of course I do!" Hermione exclaimed. "I used to have to wear tights too, once upon a time." _

_Claire ran over and hugged Hermione around her waist tightly, and Hermione returned her hug, reassuring her as she soothingly rubbed her back. Hermione looked up at Draco and mouthed 'thank you' to him._

_He replied with a wink before ushering himself and Scorpius out of his daughter's room. _

Claire and Hermione patiently waited for Anya to walk out in her first dress, a deep green sequenced dress that looked heavy, and by the way Anya held her arms, a bit itchy. She walked over to the podium and stood on it as Claire admired it from all sides. "I think it's too grown up," Anya said, looking at Hermione through the mirror.

Hermione nodded in agreement.

Anya looked down at her chest and sighed. "I swear I'm going to have a flat chest forever."

"You'll grow boobs someday," Claire reassured her sister. "I can't wait until I get boobs. I already have a bra, you know."

Anya rolled her eyes. "Your bra, or my old training bra?"

Claire haughtily put her hands on her hips. "Well…it's my bra now!" she exclaimed. "I'm even wearing it."

"Like an undershirt," Anya snarked.

"Girls," Hermione warned, giving both of them a pointed stare. "Anya, why don't you go try on another dress."

"Yeah," Claire mimicked. "Try on another dress, YaYa."

Hermione noticed the slight flare of Anya's nostrils as she marched back into the dressing room. With a look and a point, Hermione redirected Claire's behind over to the empty seat on the bench sofa she was perched upon. Claire hesitated before complying, remembering that she was already on thin ice with Hermione this morning. Hermione looked at her watch, trying to plot out the rest of her morning with the girls depending on how long it took to secure a dress. Earlier in the week, she sent an owl to both Astoria's mother, inviting her to come along to look for dresses. She didn't ask for a reply back, but she simply informed Helena where they would be and what time, and that her granddaughters would enjoy seeing her. Claire would, anyway, Hermione figured. Anya was the wild card. But since her own mother couldn't be here, Hermione thought that Helena's attendance would make it a little bit easier. She didn't mention this to the girls, of course. Hermione wasn't about to get their hopes up over something that may not happen.

Anya reappeared a few minutes later, wearing a short, lime green dress with a very frilly bottom and a very sparkly top. "This looks like my Tinkerbelle costume from my three year old tap recital."

Hermione's shoulders dropped as she reminisced. "You were so cute!" she cried. "With your little wings and your hair in those little pigtail buns."

The teenager rolled her eyes. "Those wings were so awful to wear. If you dropped your arms for a second they would fall off."

"Either way, you were the cutest Tinkerbelle out on that stage," Hermione confirmed. "I have the photos to prove it."

"I was also the only one that was actually tapping," Anya added. "Speaking of dancing, has my letter for the summer ballet intensive at the London Ballet Academy come in the Muggle post yet?"

She shook her head no. "When did it come last year?"

Anya shrugged. "I don't know…I thought this time. Maybe it was April."

"I'll keep an eye out for it," Hermione promised. "And I'll let you know when it arrives."

Claire eyed her sister in the dress, taping her chin with a pensive look. "I think you look like an apple ice lolly."

"Agreed," Anya replied.

"It's super pretty," Claire clarified. "It's just…bright. Try on the sparkly one."

Anya looked at her sister incredulously. "They're all sparkly, Claire. You're going to need to be more specific."

The little sister huffed. "The pink one."

Anya mumbled something under her breath that was incoherent to Hermione and Claire as she retreated back to the dressing room. She returned several times, in various pink and purple dresses, all of which weren't very Anya. They were very Claire, had Claire been thirteen, but after about the sixth one, Hermione got up to browse the racks. Anya's face was screaming for help but she had the good sense not to say it out loud, so that she didn't hurt Claire's feelings. Anya was a tall girl, and Hermione could see that she was a little uncomfortable showing so much leg in several of the shorter dresses.

As Hermione returned with a handful of longer, more Anya like dresses to try on, she heard the jingle of the shop door and an excited squeal from Claire. "Nana!" Hermione heard Claire squeal as she disappeared. "Grandfather!"

Assuming both of Astoria's parents were here, Hermione walked through the racks expecting to see Helena and Lloyd Greengrass. Instead, she saw Helena Greengrass accompanied by none other than Lucius Malfoy. Swallowing a groan, she motioned for the sales lady to take the dresses from her to put in the dressing room as she stared at Draco's father, patting Claire somewhat awkwardly as she hugged him around his waist. This was progress, of course, from his usual gruff push off that Hermione had heard so much about, but she kept that thought to herself.

"Grandfather, what are you doing here!" Claire cried.

"Your Nana Helena told me she was coming to see Anya today, and I thought I would tag along," Lucius drawled, keeping a fixed stare on Hermione. "I take it you haven't spoken to my son yet."

Hermione folded her arms against her chest and stood up a little bit straighter. "Can't imagine what gave you that impression."

Claire pulled on Helena's hand. "Come on, Nana - come see the dresses Anya's trying on!"

Hermione couldn't tell if Helena was apologizing in her sympathetic look before allowing Claire to lead her over towards the changing area. She moved her hands to her hips, staring at this man, wondering how he even had the audacity to show up here today. Then again, Malfoy's weren't exactly known for their ability to comply to other's demands - even if the demands came from one of their own. "It's not like Draco and I have had five free minutes to discuss this…request of yours," Hermione finally stated. "And I promise that when he hears about you being here, he is going to go barking mad and you'll never see them."

Lucius eyeballed the Muggle born witch in front of him with a snide smirk. "You overestimate my son, Miss Granger."

"You underestimate him," Hermione replied. "If you truly want to be a part of the children's lives, and your demeaning and sarcastic attitude changes, I'm sure Draco could find it in him to give you a chance."

"It's been nearly a month since our initial meeting, Miss Granger," Lucius droned.

"And again, your son and I have had more pressing issues than dealing with your sudden urge to become more family oriented," Hermione snapped. "Please leave. When Draco is ready to forgive you, you'll be the first to know."

Lucius sighed quite unimpressively. "I was hesitant to do this your way, Miss Granger, but if I do not see some sort of result soon, I'm afraid I will have to speak with him myself."

"Go ahead," Hermione dared. "Because you certainly won't get what you want that way."

He tsk'ed in her direction sarcastically. "I guess, that's a risk I'll have to take."

"Please leave," Hermione insisted firmly. "Today is stressful enough without you here adding to it, as this is something Anya was looking forward to do with her mother."

If she didn't know any better, Hermione could have sworn she almost saw a bit of remorse cross his face. Of course, it left as quickly as it appeared but Hermione saw it - visible proof that Lucius Malfoy indeed had a soul. It might not have been much of one, and it may have been buried under misguided and barbaric ideals, but it was there.

Hermione stood there, watching as he slowly retreated before turning her back on him and retreating to the dressing area, where Anya re-emerged in a dark red dress with one shoulder strap made of sequenced rosettes. Anya looked over at her, a baffled expression splashed on her face.

"You invited her?" Anya mouthed.

Hermione nodded. "It's ok," she mouthed back.

Hesitating for a moment, Anya turned back to where Helena and Claire sat, Helena dabbing the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. "I don't love it, but I don't hate it," she said, speaking to her sister.

"You look beautiful," Helena murmured. Say what you want about Helena Greengrass, but she was proof that her daughters, now daughter, would age well. You could see both Astoria and Daphne in her features, the cheekbones and eyes being the most prominent as her greying hair was pinned back in a low chignon while donning a high end, royal blue set of dress robes.

Anya swished slowly back and forth, her lips pursed together as she looked down at the dress as it swayed. "It's really red…" she mused allowed.

"It's a nice color on you," Hermione added as she took a seat in one of the single chairs, leaving Claire and Helena to the bench. "But you're right, it's really red."

"It looks like something a seventh year would go in," Anya replied. "I like it…but it might be too grown up."

Hermione nodded, agreeing with Anya. "There's a really pretty green one in there I found for you."

"Ok," Anya nodded as she returned to the dressing room.

While Anya changed into the next dress, Hermione quietly observed Claire as she chattered on incessantly to her Nana Helena, telling her all about school, helping at Grandma Jean and Grandpa Richard's dental practice, and all the fun she's been having with Hermione and Daddy and Scorpius. She half expected Helena to turn up her nose at the stories regarding her or her parents, but Hermione instead found herself shocked to see Helena nodding along to Claire's story and most importantly, allowing Claire to cuddle up to her as she spoke. Hermione didn't have experience witnessing Astoria's parents interact with the children - all she had to go on were the stories or more appropriately - incidents - that had been relayed to her by either Draco or Anya. Then again, death often changes people's perspective on life, and while Helena and her husband didn't entirely understand the severity of their daughter's illness, Hermione could only imagine what it felt like to lose a child. She wanted the children to have a relationship with Astoria's family - Daphne included as long as she snuffed out the torch she carried for Draco - and would do everything she could to cultivate it.

The door to the shop jingled as it opened once more, in walking Ginny with James in tow. Hermione gave them both a quick wave which Ginny returned, stopping to speak with the sales lady before scurrying towards them. "I totally forgot you were dress shopping today!" Ginny exclaimed as she gave Hermione a hug. "I pulled James out for the day to make sure his dress robes fit. They're retrieving them now."

When the sales lady returned with the box, she motioned for James to follow her to the vacant changing room next to Anya's. Hermione bit her tongue, trying to suppress a laugh as James unenthusiastically trudged into the vacant space, whipping the thick velvet curtain shut behind him.

"Miss Ginny!" Claire exclaimed. "Miss Ginny look! Nana came to see Anya try on dresses!"

Ginny turned and saw Helena Greengrass sitting primly, despite the arm she had around Claire. "I see," Ginny acknowledged kindly, eying Hermione slightly. "Mrs. Greengrass, it's good to see you again."

Helena nodded. "Likewise, Mrs. Potter."

"Did your husband join you today?" Ginny asked.

"Unfortunately no," the elder woman replied. "He's been feeling a bit under the weather this week. It's best if he spends the weekend resting before returning to work on Monday."

Hermione arched her eyebrows. "I hope it's nothing serious."

"Just a cold," Helena simply replied. "Of course, this is what he gets for not wearing a hat when it's cold outside."

Ginny laughed. "Men. You think they'd figure it out, the older they get."

"Sadly, it's wishful thinking," Helena mused as Hermione and Ginny stifled their own giggles.

"How many bloody pieces are there to these blasted dress robes!" the ladies heard James shout from his dressing room. He staggered out between the curtains with his collared shirt unbuttoned, holding a plastic bag filled with black button covers as an untied bow tie hung around his neck. His black jacket was draped over one of his arms. "I don't even know what to do with these!" he exclaimed, thrusting the bag of button covers towards his mother.

Ginny shook her head at her son. "You're helpless."

"Is that James?" Anya's voice called out behind her dressing room curtain, her voice pitched slightly higher than usual.

"Yeah, it's me," he groused as his mother took his coat, draping it over her own arm while he buttoned up his shirt.

"Are you in a dress?" Claire called out to Anya.

"Um…yes," Anya nervously replied.

"Come out then!" Claire demanded. "I want to see!"

James wasn't paying attention when the curtain to the room next to his opened. He was looking down, watching how his mother snapped the button covers onto his dress shirt while he fumbled his clumsy fingers as they tried to button the cuffs of his sleeves. Hermione, Claire, and Helena took notice, however, as Anya walked out in a flowing, iridescent green dress. The fitted bust line was perfect around Anya's ballerina frame, with a wide band of gold beading stitched along the top of the bust line before slanting down the sides, crisscrossing in the front before wrapping around underneath the bust. The dress flowed from the second set of beading down to the ground, effortlessly moving as Anya took her timid steps out in the open.

Hermione brought her hand to her mouth as she smiled at Anya. "That dress is beautiful," she told Anya.

"Anya looks like a princess," Claire whispered in awe. "Don't you think so, Nana?"

Helena nodded quickly, her eyes blinking quickly. "You look…just like your mother. When she and your father were engaged, she wore a dress similar to that color to her engagement party…"

Anya nervously fidgeted in place, looking without trying to look in James' direction as he held out the ends of his bow-tie, looking at the garment piece as if it had offended him somehow. Ginny finished placing the last button cover on James' shirt and turned around, taking one look at the girl in front of her before beaming. "Anya Malfoy, that dress looks like it was made for you."

It was at his mother's proclamation that James looked up, catching Anya's cheeks tinting pink. He felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked at her slowly from head to toe. There was one other time where the sight of Anya caused James' to forget how to breath, and it was last December. His family went with Draco, Astoria, Hermione, and her sibling to her final performance of _The Nutcracker_ at the London Ballet. He hardly knew what to expect, having never been to any of her performances, but when he realized she was Clara, one of the lead roles, he realized quickly that ballet was far more than the 'hobby' she would refer to it as when she talked to her friends. When she took center stage and began to dance, James was awestruck.

"_She's beautiful," he heard himself gasp aloud._

_His father leaned towards him. "Did you say something?" Harry asked James._

_He quickly shook his head no. "It was nothing." _

_James didn't see the glint in his father's eye, as his own eyes were fixated on stage, or hear his reply. "Sure sounded like something." _

He felt his mother give him a healthy smack in the arm. "Are you going to say something, or are you going to stand there and stare as if you've never seen this girl before?"

James shook out of his trance quickly and cleared his throat. "Merlin, Anya," he finally managed to speak, a bit hoarsely. "You look…brilliant."

Anya placed her hands on her hips at nodded at him. "You look like a mess."

"That's expected though," James replied with a nervous laugh. He motioned towards his bow tie. "You'll be able to tie this for me at the dance, I reckon."

"And what makes you think that wouldn't upset your date?" Anya nervously asked. "If you were my date, I wouldn't want some…girl tying your bow tie because you're too much of a klutz to do it yourself."

James arched his brow at her, mimicking her stance as he placed his hands on his own hips. "I guess you'll have to be my date then, won't you."

Anya's cheeks flushed again as she looked over at Hermione, who gave her a wink. She looked over at her nana, which didn't seem to be entirely put off at James' request. Finally, she looked back at James, who appeared to be anxious, his hands shoved deep into his pockets as he eyed the carpet. Sighing, Anya dropped one of her hands from her hips as nonchalantly as she could. "I guess I could go to the Spring Fling with you."

"It's sorted then," James replied, looking up with a triumphant smirk. "Mum - can I change out of this mess now?"

Ginny nodded, taking one more look at his dress pants. "Everything seems to fit. Just please fold it back up before placing it into the box so it doesn't get wrinkled."

"Or…I could bring it out to you and you could do it for me," James suggested, playfully batting his eyes at her. "You know…so they don't get wrinkled."

His mother shook her head and pointed to his dressing room. "That only works for your father, sweetheart. Now go change so I can get you back to Hogsmeade to spend the rest of the day with your friends."

James gave his mother a mock salute before returning to his dressing room, while Anya stood there, looking a little shocked. Ginny walked over to her and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You really do look beautiful in that dress," she said with a motherly smile. "Your mother would have loved it."

Anya nodded, feeling tears pool up in her eyes. "You think so?" she quietly asked.

Ginny smiled, grabbing a hold of her dainty hand. "Your mother and I spent quite a lot of time together when you children were younger. I know more than most would assume."

Sniffling, Anya nodded once more. She turned around and faced Hermione, the skirt of the dress flaring outward perfectly. "Do you think I could wear this dress at the gala at the end of the summer ballet intensive if I'm selected?"

"Most definitely," Hermione replied. "But if you want a new dress, I'm sure your father will more than happily get you another."

"After all," Helena interjected. "Proper women do not repeat dresses in places they may be photographed in."

Anya shrugged, swaying in her dress again. "I'll be around Muggles though…so maybe it wouldn't count?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Hermione said, not wanting to start a fight between the grandmother and the granddaughter regarding proper rules of society women. "Why don't you go change, and we'll pay for the dress and have it sent up to Hogwarts."

Anya began to retreat back to the dressing room, only to quickly turn around and lunge herself at Hermione with a bone crushing hug. She buried her face into Hermione's neck, holding on tight as Hermione wrapped her arms around her, rubbing her bare back soothingly as she pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

"You're going to be the prettiest girl at the dance," Hermione whispered in her ear.

Sniffling, Anya waited a few more moments before pulling away, wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands. She didn't say anything, embarrassed to find herself crying in a dress shop - embarrassed to find herself crying yet again.

Once Anya was back in the dressing room changing, Helena stood up from her seat and walked over to Hermione, standing toe to toe with a woman who she had heard nothing but disparaging remarks about from Daphne to her son-in-law's father, on top of complaints from Astoria for a bit of time. All she ever heard was _know it all_ this and _filthy mudblood that_ coupled with _my husband won't bloody shut up about her_ and as a mother, she did the only thing she knew to do, which was to side with her family. So Helena learned to sneer at the sound of Hermione's name when her granddaughters would prattle on about her. She learned to scowl when Astoria wailed on and on about her and how she was all Draco ever talked about when Astoria would ask about work. She allowed Lucius Malfoy to manipulate her into thinking that he could convince his son to marry Daphne when Astoria passed so that their families would stay connected.

Gripping her handkerchief tightly in both hands, Helena straightened up her shoulders and looked Hermione in the eye. "You…you…" she stammered, trying to find her words as she was not a woman who often spoke her mind to other adults. "My daughter chose well," Helena managed to say without her voice cracking.

Hermione was taken aback at this woman's words, cautiously placing a hand over her heart as her fingers dipped inside the edge of her V-neck sweater, her fingernails scratching her own skin. "I'm glad you decided to come," she softly replied. "I'm certain it meant a lot to Anya."

"I would very much like to purchase her dress," Helena stated, quiet but firm. "And anything else she might need to go with it."

"Alright," Hermione replied.

"I'm going to take care of the sale with the sales lady," Helena replied before sidestepping and walking away, leaving Hermione and Ginny standing there, staring at one another in shock.

"What just happened?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I think that was her way of saying sorry and getting her approval."

"Who's getting approval?" Anya asked, appearing back in her black skinny jeans and the baggy maroon jumper, pulling her long black locks up in a messy bun. "Oh my god, wait - does Dad have to give approval about James?"

Giggling, Hermione waved her off as Claire walked over and grabbed Hermione's hand. "Your father will be fine with you and James going to the dance together."

"But -"

"But nothing," Hermione interjected. "He'll be fine. Your grandmother, however, has offered to purchase your dress and accessories, so please go over to her and thank her for her generous offer."

Anya stood there, mouth agape. "Really?"

"Really."

"Um…well…ok," Anya stammered. "Claire - come help me pick out jewelry. Maybe Nana will get you a necklace too."

"Or a tiara!" Claire exclaimed. "I saw an entire shelf of them over there!"

"Don't get too crazy," Hermione warned as the girls walked over to where Helena was. She watched as Anya hesitated for a moment before giving her grandmother a fierce hug, which Helena enthusiastically returned.

James wandered over to them, his robes back in the box it came in. He handed the box to his mother, who opened the lid to inspect the level of folding that took place. "Nicely done, James."

"I do what I can…to avoid your wrath," he cheekily replied. "I just hope I can put everything on the way it goes come time for the dance."

Hermione gave him a knowing smirk. "I'm sure Anya will more than happily help you out. Don't think I didn't notice her wearing your Weasley jumper when I know she has her own, Mister Potter."

He had enough sense to look bashful, though he wasn't denying that Anya was in fact wearing his sweater. Since they'd return to school, James was pretty positive that she'd managed to nick one of his Gryffindor cardigans, that sweater, and one of his long sleeved Hollyhead Harpies t-shirts. "It's not like she's my girlfriend or anything," he mumbled, his hands digging into his pockets.

"But you two have been spending more time together," Hermione mused out loud as Ginny wrapped an arm around her son.

James nodded as he scratched the back of his ear. "She's been isolating herself from her friends a little bit. They've been irritating her and such. Not that I'm complaining because I can't stand the lot of 'em, but yeah…we've been together most of the time since we've returned. One of them was going on about how she seemed different, and that they didn't like it."

Ginny hugged James. "It's hard to understand when others go through things…that force them to look at life a bit differently, or to grow up a little bit faster."

"She cries too," James admitted softly, looking directly at Hermione. "Not a lot like she was when we first returned…but every now and then, she cries and I just sit there…and let her."

"Well, you've had a fair bit of practice in that area, haven't you," Hermione said with a fond smile. She walked over to him and gave him a hug, which he returned, kissing her cheek before she pulled away. "You, James Potter, are a kind and sweet boy, and you will make a girl very happy someday."

James grinned, watching Anya as she caught his eye, walking towards the cashier counter with her grandmother and sister. "That's the plan, anyway."

* * *

><p>Draco and Scorpius were both on the ground in his room, Draco constructing a tower out of blocks while Scorpius handed the blocks to his father with one hand, while clutching a blue dragon in the other.<p>

"Now?" Scorpius asked, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Not yet," Draco chuckled with a laugh. "Just a few more blocks."

This, he thought to himself, was the best part about having a son. Draco had his fair share of dainty tea parties as he sat in chairs that were entirely too small, holding saucers and tea cups while carrying on imaginary conversations with his daughters and their stuffed animals. He paid his dues as a willing participant when his daughters wanted to play dress up, wearing his mother's old funny hats while the girls wore white gloves that slouched on the arms due to the size while clunking around in high heels their mother didn't wear anymore. Draco learned how to maneuver his large hands around the tiny clasps of doll clothes and which shoes went with what outfit, and that boy doll never got to drive the car because his legs were too long. _Only the girl can drive_, Anya would say to him matter-of-factly, as if this was something he should have known his entire life.

But boys were different. Scorpius was very much into destruction of all sorts. If someone could build it, he could help knock it down. He pushed trains along the wooden tracks in his bedroom politely for a few moments before deciding to make the trains crash into one another, or before his dragon came to life and with the help of his hand, ravaged the train track setup his father spent a good half hour setting up as he meticulously though about where to put the curves and the intersections.

As Draco cautiously placed the last block on his trio of towers with the train tracks weaving around them, he scooted back and smirk at his son.

"Now!" Scorpius shouted with glee.

"Now!" Draco exclaimed.

With his best dragon roar, Scorpius jumped up to his feet and let his dragon take the lead, crashing into each building with gusto as the blocks tumbled to the ground. The dragon was dragged through the rubble, blocks thrashing about in his wake as he then began to terrorize the trains on the track. Draco laughed at all the sounds Scorpius was making as the dragon destroyed everything the two of them – well, really just Draco but Scorpius certainly helped – built that morning.

The sound of the doorbell chimed throughout the house and Harby instantly appeared in Scorpius' bedroom. "Master, there is a Muggle at the door and Harby cannot answer!"

He groaned slightly as he pulled himself up off the ground. "Not to worry," Draco replied to the elf. "Will you stay up here and watch him while I go see who it is?"

Harby nodded, noticing the destruction everywhere. With a snap of his elf fingers, everything went back into place, the train tracks clicked together and the towers rebuilt. Scorpius barely hesitated before thrashing his dragon into the towers again, giggling as he and Harby began to play together.

Jogging down the stairs, Draco hustled over to the door as the chimes echoed throughout the house. He opened the door to find the postman, holding a large, slightly bulging cardboard envelope. "I have an envelope to deliver for…Anya Malfoy?"

Draco nodded. "I'm her father. She's away at boarding school."

The postman nodded. "If I could just get a signature here, I'll leave you to it."

Taking the postman's clipboard, he scribbled his name on the signature line and handed it back to the postman, who exchanged his clipboard for Anya's package. With a nod, Draco shut the door as the postman walked back to his vehicle. He recognized the return label, with the familiar logo with a pink ballet ribbon weaving through the letters. Shrinking the envelope, he placed it in his pocket as he was certain Anya would want to open it immediately.

He glanced at the clock on the wall as the hour hand ticked closer to eleven. Climbing the stairs, he popped his head into Scorpius' room, watching as his son laughed while Harby used magic to make his dragon fly. "Scorp, you ready to go see YaYa?"

His son's blond head whipped up at the sound of his sister's name. "YaYa!"

"Only if you find your shoes," Draco replied.

Not having to tell Scorpius twice, his little legs scurried over to his closet and pulled out his shoes with the Velcro straps and brought them to Draco. "On!" he exclaimed.

Picking Scorpius up, he set him on top of his dresser while he put one shoe on, then the other. Tightening the straps, he placed Scorpius back on the ground. "Bye!" he exclaimed to Harby, running over to give the house elf a hug. "See YaYa!"

Harby smiled at the boy. "Harby hopes that Master Scorpius has a wonderful time!"

"Bye!" Scorpius exclaimed again.

Draco waved goodbye to Harby as he followed his son out of the room and down the stairs. He made a move to hold his hand but Scorpius stopped and waved him off. "I do it!" he cried. "I big! I do it!"

"Ok," Draco replied, holding his hands up. Scorpius' protests didn't keep Draco from walking slowly, at least two steps in front of Scorpius so that if he did wobble, he could easily snatch him before he rolled down to the bottom landing.

Once the two were bundled up in their matching grey coats, Draco pulled a hat down on Scorpius' head, covering his ears before he buttoned his own coat and wrapped a scarf around his neck. Scooping his son up in his arms, he made sure the house was locked with a flick of his wand and made his way over to the fireplace. Holding Scorpius tightly with one arm, he snatched a handful of floo powder with the other, dropping it as he shouted _Diagon Alley!_

As Draco's feet landed firmly into the fireplace of The Leaky Cauldron, he quickly stepped out and used his wand to rid himself and his son of the fireplace soot. While his daughters were terrified of floo traveling at Scorpius' age, his son found it exciting. "Gain?" he asked Draco as they walked through the half empty pub.

"Maybe later," Draco replied, nodding at a few of the bar patrons as they acknowledged his presence. It took a long time for Draco to be seen in Diagon Alley by himself after the war, and even more so when his children came along. People were less likely to sneer and shout if he was with Astoria and Anya when she was little, but it made Draco nervous for the longest time. While he was doing his best to change, keeping his head down and working hard as an auror, it took others in the wizarding community a lot longer to forgive him for his family's misgivings.

"_Come with us to the pub – we're going to grab lunch," nineteen year old Harry said to Draco one day after their morning training session. _

_Draco shook his head, retreating to his cubicle in the junior auror office. "It's best if I don't go."_

_Harry rolled his eyes. "Look – I know you've been heckled, but you'll be with me."_

"_Which will only lead people to believe that the bloody Chosen One has been selected to feed me a final meal before carting my ass to Azkaban," Draco snarked. "Thanks, but no thanks, Potter."_

_Harry shook his head as he continued to stand in front of Draco. "No one's ever going to forgive you if you don't forgive yourself."_

"_Something else I hardly deserve," Draco replied with a scowl. "Just leave me, Potter. Go have lunch with the rest of the guys."_

"_I'm not going to go if you don't go."_

"_Are you always this irritating?"_

"_Depends on who you ask," Harry replied with a smirk. "Come on, Malfoy. Even if you don't want to eat with the group – I'll sit with you somewhere else."_

_Draco looked up at him, arching an eyebrow. "Why are you being so bloody nice to me?"_

"_Because someone needs to," Harry replied. "Besides, you and I are going to have something in common in about seven or so months."_

_Snorting, Draco caved to Harry's request as he stood up from his cubicle desk and grabbed his cloak. "No offense, Potter, but I doubt you and I will ever have anything in common."_

"_Your wife's due in April, correct?" Harry asked with a smirk? "Because mine is too."_

"_Ginny's pregnant?" Draco asked. "You would have thought the entire world would have been notified of the Chosen One procreating."_

_Harry rolled his eyes. "We've been keeping it under wraps for a little bit. You're the only one that knows outside of our immediate family."_

_Draco nodded, understanding the look in Harry's eye as he himself wanted nothing more than privacy for himself and his own family. "They'll be in the same year at Hogwarts then, won't they?"_

"_Maybe they'll even be friends," Harry said with a smirk._

_Laughing, Draco followed Harry out of the junior auror office and sighed. "It definitely would be a change of pace."_

Once in the back alley behind the pub, Draco tapped the bricks in order and stood back as they shuffled around, opening the entrance into Diagon Alley. He put Scorpius down on the cobblestoned street to walk, holding his little hand in his as the two walked past the shops. He didn't have to meet Hermione and the girls for another half hour at least, so Draco ducked into Flourish and Blott's bookstore to look and see if they'd received any potion books in their rare finds section on the second floor. He was also trying to quell the nerves in his stomach, as he and Hermione planned on talking to the girls today about their relationship. Claire he wasn't worried about. It was up in the air as to which way his eldest would land.

He walked behind Scorpius as he walked up one step at a time, his little hands moving from spindle to spindle as he climbed. When they reached the top, Draco took Scorpius' hand again and walked down one of the book stack aisles, running smack dab into none other than Hermione.

Scorpius looked up and grinned, before looking down the aisle to his left, finding Claire and Anya a few ways back. "YaYa!" Scorpius shrieked, running as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Anya bent down just in time to scoop her brother up off the ground and hug him tight. Scorpius planted a big kiss on his sister's lips before hugging her, resting his head contentedly on her shoulder. "I've missed you, buddy," she said.

"Yuh you YaYa," Scorpius said with a satisfied sigh.

She laughed. "Love you too, buddy."

Draco looked down at the pile of books he nearly knocked out of Hermione's hands. "I take it dress shopping is over?"

Hermione nodded, looking back to the girls. "Why don't you guys go downstairs and help pick out a few books for Scorpius in the kid's section. Something other than dragons though – I believe he has them all."

Anya nodded, motioning with a nod of her head for Claire to follow. Draco took notice of the sparkling tiara on her head as she followed her sister back towards the stairs. "She wasn't wearing that when she left," he commented. "I can only imagine what that put me back."

"Well, you didn't have to pay for it so don't worry," Hermione replied, handing her books to Draco. "If you had, you most certainly would have had a small stroke."

Draco's eyes went wide. "Hermione, I gave you my Gringotts number for a reason –"

"Oh believe me, I didn't buy it either," Hermione replied as the two of them went to walk back into the history section. "I invited Helena to come along today and before you say anything about it, let me finish," she warned him. "She should be a part of their lives, as she's their mother's mother. Anya was shocked to see her at first, but Helena was very lovely today and she even said something nice to me."

Draco looked at Hermione unbelievingly as she stood up on her toes to reach a book. Grabbing it for her, he handed it to Hermione for her to inspect before she handed it back to Draco to keep in the pile he was holding. "Do I dare ask what she said?"

Hermione looked up at him, her arms folding across her chest. "She said that 'her daughter chose well' in reference to me, and then offered to pay for Anya's dress and accessories."

"You're barking," Draco said. "Helena Greengrass said that?"

Hermione nodded. "And I for one am glad that she is coming around. Those children are the closest thing she'll ever have to Astoria and they should have a relationship."

He sighed, knowing she was right but unsure of what a closer relationship with Helena Greengrass would bring. "I'm assuming these books are required for your research?"

She nodded, standing up on her tip toes as she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "They are, but I need to tell you something else." She took his free hand and pulled him into the back of the store, where she was sure the two of them were alone. "Your father escorted Helena to the shop today."

Draco immediately scowled. "What in the bloody hell for?"

"Because Helena's husband is under the weather with a cold," Hermione replied. "You know how old school pureblood wizards are, escorting their wives places because it's the proper thing to do."

He rolled his eyes. "My father isn't exactly the accommodating type, Granger."

"Obviously," Hermione replied. "He came because…well, you see, a few weeks ago he came to the house when you were gone, wanting to speak with you about the children."

"I'm sorry," Draco said, looking at her as if she'd grown a third eye. "A few weeks ago?"

"Valentine's Day, remember?" Hermione reminded him. "I told you he stopped by, but I didn't tell you what for. He wants...he says he wants to speak with you about having a relationship…a better relationship, actually, with the childr-"

"Over my dead body," Draco interrupted her. "Where does he even get off thinking that I would allow it?"

She hung her head slightly. "He asked me to speak to you about it," she said quietly. "Figuring I could talk you into it. But I hadn't said anything to you about it because we've been busy with the children and figuring things out with you and I and just…well, that's why he came today. He came in with Helena and asked me why I hadn't said anything to you yet and I told him that we'd been busy."

He reached his hand back to squeeze his neck, irritated with Hermione for not having mentioned this sooner.

"I can see you're upset with me," she said. "And I meant to tell you a few days after the fact but we just got done having that ridiculous row about me not working and I just didn't…I'm sorry. I thought I was doing what was best and just leaving it be for a while."

Draco inhaled sharply and exhaled coolly, wishing his father would appear only so that he could curse him into the next century. "It's fine," he muttered, squeezing the back of his neck one more time. "Just…next time he speaks to you, tell me."

She quickly nodded, her fingers picking her nails. "I'm sorry, Draco."

"It's fine," he repeated, softening his tone just a touch. "Do you need any more books?"

Hermione shook her head. "I think…that'll do for now."

"Alright," Draco replied. "You didn't happen to take a gander in the potions section, did you?"

"Yes," she softly said. "I didn't see the book, though. One of the workers mentioned a rare bookstore in Paris though that may have what you're looking for."

He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers and gave it a squeeze. "I'm not mad at you, Hermione."

She gave him a quick couple of nods, looking anywhere but at him as they made their way over to the staircase. "I still should have said something sooner."

"It's fine," Draco said.

Hermione shook her head again. "Obviously it's not fine, as you've said it's_ fine_ three times in a row now."

Draco stopped in his tracks and looked at her, waiting a few moments before she finally looked back at him. "I'm not saying I don't understand why you did what you did because I do," he implored. "I really do." He took a step towards her, snaking an arm around her waist as he pulled her closer. "But when it comes to _that man_, I would really prefer to just know about it the moment it happens, ok? "

"Alright," Hermione replied, resting her head on his chest for a moment. She closed her eyes and felt lips press a kiss to the top of her forehead. "I tried saying no to the tiara, by the way," she said, her words muffled by Draco's coat.

He laughed, letting go of her and taking her hand again as they made their way to the staircase, letting go once they were in the line of sight of other patrons. "I'm sure once she put it on her head it would have taken an act of Merlin to remove it."

* * *

><p>Anya walked behind Hermione and her father, each of them holding onto one of her brother's hands as they walked down to The Three Broomsticks. Claire walked back with her, her hands moving up to her head every so often to make sure the tiara was still there. Anya had been watching the two of them together since they came back down and found them in the kid section, where she held a stack of books, all about trains, planes, and cars. She could sense something had changed, but couldn't exactly put her finger on it.<p>

"Claire," Anya whispered, grabbing one of her hands because if she watched her sister reach up to touch that tiara one more time she was going to vanish the damn thing. "Are Dad and Hermione…have they been acting different?"

Claire shrugged, feeling Anya slow down their pace so that they wouldn't be heard. "I don't know. Maybe, I think? They sleep in the same bed. I snuggled with them the other day."

Anya stopped in her tracks. "Are you serious? In the same bed?"

"In Hermione's room," Claire clarified.

"Did you ask him why?" Anya asked, knowing her nosy sister had have gotten something out of her father.

She shook her head. "It was probably nightmares or something," Claire said offhandedly. "But I've seen them hold hands sometimes…when they don't think I'm watching. But I'm watching."

Laughing, Anya gave her sister's hand a good squeeze. "Dad deserves to be happy."

Claire nodded in agreement. "I think the two of them would be super romantical…but do you think it will make Mummy sad, even if she's in heaven?"

"Nah," Anya remarked, letting go of Claire's hand as she pulled her into her side, their strides matching as they walked together. "Besides, I have a feeling that Mummy would be ok if Hermione and Daddy were together.

Claire gave her sister a look. "Does this mean if they are, you'll be nice about it?"

"Maybe…" Anya teased. "Once I'm done taking the mickey out of them."

Claire giggled. "Just don't tell Daddy that James is gonna take you to your dance because then he'll take the mickey out of you!"

Their father turned around and looked at the girls quite questionably. "Come along, girls," Draco called out to them. "I don't want you so far back."

Anya snorted. "Afraid we'll get snatched?"

"I just don't like it," Draco said in a tone that left zero room for argument. "Get up here."

Claire made a face as they walked up a bit closer. "He's been in a better mood since Hermione moved in…but I don't know why he's so grumpy right now."

"Probably because Hermione told Dad we saw Grandfather today."

"Oh…" Claire said, her voice trailing. "Never mind then."

They arrived at the Three Broomsticks, Draco holding the door open as everyone else filed inside the pub. It was smaller than the one in Hogsmeade, but a decently sized pub all the same which the wizarding community enjoyed, as there were few options for dining out in the wizarding world. Not everyone enjoyed apparating to Hogsmeade and having to deal with Hogwarts children on the weekends.

They were ushered over to a booth with a large round table away from the front windows, which Draco could see Hermione thanking the waitress for as the kids slid into the booth. Scorpius demanded with what words he had in his vocabulary to sit in the middle of his two sisters, snuggling up to Anya as menus were placed in front of everyone. Draco slid into the booth next to Hermione, their legs touching as he placed a hand on the top of her thigh.

The five of them made small talk, commandeered mostly by Claire as she described every detail of Anya's dress, shoes, and jewelry to her father while Anya and Hermione humorously watched. Scorpius stayed curled up next to Anya's side, holding onto the hand she had resting on his stomach. It was clear that he missed Anya as his usual restaurant mannerisms of collecting everyone's menus and holding them hostage while he laughed had yet to make an appearance.

Once drinks and food orders were placed, Hermione reached for Draco's hand and held onto it, figuring that now was as good of time as any to talk to the girls. Clearing his throat, Draco looked at his two girls, not a similarity between them, and spoke. "Daddy wants to talk to you both about something," he said, his voice gentle but serious.

Claire sat up straight, her face panicked. "Are you sick?" she quickly asked. "You said that last time when Mummy was sick. Are you sick?"

"No, no, no," Draco quickly amended, trying to stop the anxiety that threatened tears in Claire's eyes. "No one is sick. No one."

She looked at him, then to Hermione who nodded in agreement, then back at her Dad. "Promise?"

"Promise."

She sighed and slouched back in the booth, her tiara tilting slightly. "Ok."

Hermione scooted up a bit closer to the table, and Anya noticed just how close the two of them were actually sitting. "You see," Draco continued carefully. "We wanted to tell you that, well, Hermione and I…we've decided to…"

"Date?" Anya supplied.

"Something like that," Draco nervously replied. "It's a bit awkward, of course, dating someone you already live with, but we've…evolved into a relationship past friendship."

Anya could see the way her father was looking at her, speaking without speaking and Anya understood. She hugged Scorpius closer to her and slowly began to process everything. She just told Claire this is what her mother would have wanted. She said so herself in the letter. Her mother told her to be happy for her father.

She looked at her father for a moment. "You love her." It was a quiet statement.

Draco nodded. "I do."

"And you love him back," Anya said, her gaze shifting to Hermione.

Hermione steeled her nerves with a single breath before answering. "I do, Anya."

"But what if you two break up?" Anya asked.

"If that happens," Draco began to speak. "We will find a way to peacefully co-exist in the mansion."

"I'm not leaving you guys," Hermione said emphatically to both of the girls. "If this happened to not work out, I would never leave. I made a promise to your mother and I fully intend to keep it."

"And this is different than you and mum's relationship because..."

"It isn't forced," Draco finished for her, his voice kind. "This…what this is between us, is mutual to the very core. We wouldn't be telling you girls this unless we were completely serious about one another."

"Which we are," Hermione added. "And it's ok if you're confused or upset about it. We're all adjusting too many different things, and it may not be fair to add this onto it. But we'll be out in public more together, not by ourselves but with you children, and the rumor mills will churn and gossip will fly which is why your father and I want to be completely honest with you girls." Hermione looked over at Claire, who seemed to be sitting without fidgeting – quite possibly a first. "Claire?" she asked. "You haven't said much."

Claire shrugged, her heels thudding against the wooden booth as she looked at the two of them, then up to her sister's unreadable face. "You always say that Mummy just wants us to be happy, right?"

Hermione nodded. "We do."

"Well…" Claire drawled out, crawling up onto her knees as she leaned her elbows up on the table. "If you're happy…and Daddy's happy…and Anya's happy…" she looked over at her sister again. "Are you happy?"

Anya could see the eagerness in Claire's eyes and didn't have the heart to answer any other way. "Yes," she said with a small smile. "I'm happy if Daddy and Hermione are happy."

As if it were on cue, the waitress arrived with a platter full of drinks and food. It went without saying that Draco and Hermione were grateful for the distraction as Claire's enthusiasm for the little umbrellas in her punch caused everyone to laugh.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to apparate Anya back to Hogsmeade," Hermione told Draco as they bundled the smaller ones back up before leaving The Three Broomsticks. "Why don't you take the children to get some ice cream? I'll be back in a minute."<p>

Draco looked unsure as he snugly pulled Scorpius' hat down on his wiggling head. "You sure?"

"We'll be fine," Hermione promised.

As he took her bag of books from her hand, he suddenly remembered Anya's package. Pulling it out of his pocket, he enlarged it with his wand and called for his oldest. "YaYa, this came for you before Scorp and I left."

She looked at the package nervously, her eyes catching the logo in the corner as she hesitated to take it. "What if it says I didn't get in?"

He gave her a knowing look. "You were accepted last year, dear. Plus, I don't think rejection letters come inside a bulging envelope."

Anya carefully took the package and looked over at Hermione. "Can we get ice cream in Hogsmeade and open it?" she asked.

"Of course," Hermione replied. She looked at Claire and Scorpius, each holding a hand of Draco's. "Be good at the ice cream shop," she told them. "I want to hear good things when I get back."

Draco gave Hermione a wink, not wanting to peck her cheek in front of the children just yet. He did however, motion for Anya to come closer so he could kiss her forehead. "I love you," he said quietly.

"I love you too," she replied, kissing his cheek.

Hermione grabbed a hold of Anya's hand and gave them a wink before the two of them disapparated from the pub and landed just outside of Hogsmeade, which was crawling with Hogwarts students as they milled in and out of the stores. The two of them walked towards the town in a comfortable silence. Hermione wasn't going to talk until Anya talked, knowing very well that Anya would speak when she was ready.

"Maybe we could get some tea instead?" Anya suggested as they neared the shops. "Madam Puddifoot's won't be too busy. We could…look through my letter."

"I could do with a cup of coffee," Hermione replied with a warm smile as Anya linked an arm with hers.

Anya was right in the sense that the coffee shop was pretty empty. Madam Puddifoot's was usually a heavy attractor of older students and professors, who came early in the day instead of later. The two of them sat down at a table seated for four and an elderly woman came over to take their order.

"A coffee with two creams for me," Hermione said politely.

"And for you?"

"Just some plain tea with honey," Anya replied.

"Coming right up!" the woman chirped as she returned with their order to the kitchen.

Anya's fingers played with flap of the envelope that had begun to lose its seal for a few seconds before an encouraging nod caused her to shred the top of it open. Their drinks were placed in front of them as she pulled out the wad of folded papers, along with brochures she handed to Hermione. Finding the first letter on its crisp pink letterhead, she quickly scanned the contents of the letter and gasped. "I got into the senior elite group!" she hissed with excitement. "Girls my age _never_ get into the senior elite group!"

Hermione beamed proudly as she waited for Anya to continue, concerned when she saw her eyes go from excitement to her shoulders dropping in disappointment. "What?" she asked.

Handing the letter over to Hermione, Anya sat back in her chair and took a sip of her tea. "The senior intensive is the entire summer instead of four weeks. I'd leave a week after I get home from Hogwarts and come a week before I return."

Hermione's eyes skimmed across the letter, reading what the senior intensive workshop was about and what its intentions were for its students by the summer's end. From a ballet perspective, it was an amazing opportunity for Anya if ballet was something she wished to pursue once Hogwarts was finished. "It says that scouts come from all over the world to watch the final performances," Hermione read out loud. "And that the final performance gives students a chance to audition for chorus and principle positions for each of the companies represented." She put the letter down and looked over at Anya. "That's a lot to take in for someone who'll be fourteen in a month. What do you think about it?"

Anya took another drink of her tea as Hermione poured her creamers into her coffee and charmed the spoon to spin with just a flick of her finger. "I think it's my entire summer…and I promised Claire that when I came home this summer we could do what she wanted since I decided to come back to school."

"Well," Hermione said, glancing down at the letter. "You have until April 229th to decide what you want to do. Maybe I can call them for you and ask if you could do the junior program again instead. After all, you're hardly ready to run off and dance professionally, are you?"

She smirked as she shook her head. "Hardly. I kind of was thinking about going to go to Muggle University once I was done at Hogwarts."

"Really?" Hermione curiously asked.

"Maybe," Anya replied. "Who knows…considering it's forever away."

Hermione chuckled as she took a drink of her coffee. "It'll be here before you know it."

Anya picked up the teabag from her cup, placing it in her spoon before wrapping the string around the bag, squeezing out the excess water before setting it down on the small saucer next to her teacup. "So…you and Dad."

"It's ok if you're unhappy about it," Hermione quickly replied in a reassuring voice. "I know you were just trying to make Claire happy. I could see it on your face."

"I'm not unhappy," Anya replied, her cup cooled just enough for her to hold with both hands instead of just by its dainty handle. "I just don't know how to put it into words, I guess, without sounding like the world's worst daughter."

Hermione folded up all of Anya's ballet paperwork and shoved it back into the envelope before pocketing it in her purse. "Well…you're not my daughter, and I'm not your mother, so for purposes of say…you not holding things in only to let it verbally vomit on the first person that crosses you on a bad day, how about you just put it out there," she said to Anya with complete sincerity. "I won't judge you in the slightest."

The younger girl picked up the paper napkin on the table, folding it into a rectangle as she crisply creased the edge before folding it once more into a square. Silently, she continued to fold the napkin until it could not be folded anymore, and was a squashed piece of parchment that slowly stretched out as it now sat discarded on the table. Blandly, Anya began to speak as she picked up her tea again, holding it close to her chest as she stared into it. "I used to lie awake at night, mostly after days spent with you and Ginny and the Potter kids and would close my eyes as tight as I could and wish that my mum would be more like you. I wished she would get excited like you did, and pick me up off the ground every time she hugged me as if she hadn't seen me in months…like you did. I wished she would sit on the ground and color with me, or let me smear a hideous shade of lipstick across her lips while we brushed each other's hair and played dress-up." Anya took another drink of her tea and set it down on the table, crossing her arms against her chest. "I wished for it nearly every day when I was Claire's age. You're going to think this just sounds mental…"

"I won't," Hermione promised.

Anya nodded, hugging herself a bit tighter. "When Mum first got sick, and then when we found out she wasn't going to get better and then Dad told me about what she asked you to do…you know what my first thought was?"

Hermione gently shook her head.

"I thought…maybe I should have been more specific," Anya confessed with a cracking voice. "Maybe I should have said that I wanted you both, instead of just wishing for you, because now you're here and she's…I mean, I know this is completely mental, Hermione. If Mum had never gotten sick, who knows if she would have even changed, you know? You said so yourself - death can change a person's perspective."

"I did," Hermione said, her voice soft and sympathetic. "I know you must be ten sorts of confused, and I can't blame you, sweetheart. I've yet to lose a parent, so I have no idea what it feels like. But…" she reached across the table and held out her hand, waiting for Anya to grab it. "Just because your mother isn't here anymore doesn't mean you're having to choose. If your mother had been able to get better, your parents would have went through their divorce and your father -"

"Would have fallen in love with you regardless," Anya replied. "I know that. I really do. I'm incredibly bright for an almost fourteen year old, you know."

Hermione laughed at Anya's remarks, noting how she channeled her inner Claire there for a moment. "Among other things," she agreed as she let her hand go. "You and I are ok, though, right?"

She quickly nodded, reaching for her tea to finish it off. "I think you and Dad are brilliant. I really do. I think a part of me will always hate that my parents couldn't figure it out…but I knew it was a matter of time before you and Dad figured it out. I guess I just…couldn't process what you were saying in the moment."

"Of course," Hermione sincerely replied. "A part of me almost every day regrets that Ron and I couldn't figure it out, but at the same time, if it had, I wouldn't be with your father, and he genuinely makes me happy, Anya. Happier than I've been in a very long time."

"Good," Anya stated. "You deserve it, Hermione. Both of you do."

She leaned back in her chair, much more relaxed as Anya appeared to be less stressed as well. She took a drink of her coffee and waved a finger in the direction of the jumper she was sporting. "Having snaked many a Weasley sweater away in my day, I feel like I have to ask you why you're wearing it…in public of all places?"

Her cheeks blushed as she looked down at the large sweater she was wearing. "James and I…have been spending a lot of time together this term. My friends…they're completely mental, gossiping about the most…ridiculous things I could honestly care less about and they're constantly on me about not being myself…but obviously I've changed. I mean, they don't know what I'm going through. They can say they're sorry all they want, but they don't know how it feels, and whether they like it or not, I'm just not the same as I was."

"I understand completely," Hermione sympathized. One of the many fights she and Ron used to have were about things being the way they used to be after the war ended. Hermione envied at times how Ron was able to just block out everything they experienced and box it away in a part of his mind that wouldn't bother him, but Hermione couldn't. It took her a long time to get over some of the things she witnessed and…experienced, and it wasn't something that one just 'got over.' "But that doesn't explain the sweater…" she said with a sly grin.

"He just lets me be…whatever it is that I am in that moment," Anya quickly spoke as she scratched an arm. "He doesn't tell me what to think or how to feel. It doesn't matter what mood I'm in or how I'm feeling…James doesn't make me feel bad for feeling…anything. I think today's probably the first day we've been apart for most of the day since Mum died…and I don't know…it smells like him. Makes me feel…less anxious, I guess."

"James is a good friend to you," Hermione said.

Anya agreed, nodding as she looked down into her lap. "His friend Declan…annoying little git…told me the other day that James…that um, that James liked me. Like liked me liked me."

She watched as Anya's cheeks blushed again, though not as much as Hermione expected them to. "He's liked you liked you for quite some time now, you know."

Shaking her head, Anya looked up at Hermione. "How would you know?"

"Because I do," Hermione replied. "How else do you explain the way he asked you to the dance today?"

"Which was completely embarrassing!" Anya exclaimed. "In front of you…Nana…and his mother!"

"He's getting braver, I'll give him that," Hermione said with a laugh.

"Or he thought I would have said no if he asked me when we were alone," Anya demurely replied.

Hermione gave Anya a look. "Would you have?"

"Said no?" Anya asked. "No. I would have said yes…"

She gave Anya an encouraging nod to continue.

"I just…I don't know…maybe I'm not normal," Anya muttered. "My friends…talk about boys all the bloody time and it's just so irritating that I can't think straight when I'm around them. And James' friends – when we were here a few weeks after holiday all they could talk about was snogging girls and it's not like I don't want to snog a boy…I just don't want to snog one now. I'm thirteen for Merlin's sake!"

Hermione knew there wasn't enough money in the world, both Muggle and Wizard alike, that would make her be a teenage girl again. Had she been given the option to skip it all together, knowing now what she knew then, she would have taken it in a heartbeat and never looked back. "Sweetheart, maybe you and James can just talk about this. I'm sure he feels the same way."

"And if he doesn't?" Anya snapped. "What if I say that I like him, but I don't want to snog him. What if he goes and finds a girl that will?"

"Then he's a git that doesn't deserve you," Hermione replied. "But James isn't that boy. He knows you…and knows how you operate. It's not like he's oblivious to what he'd be signing up for. He knows you better than anyone."

Anya sighed, knowing everything Hermione was saying was right. "If I talk to him and it blows up in my face, I'm totally blaming you."

Laughing, Hermione picked up her cup to finish her coffee. "I will accept full responsibility if this does blow up in your face. However, you should know that I'm pretty confident it won't." The two of them gathered their things and paid for their drinks and walked outside, where they saw James sitting on a bench outside of his uncle's joke shop, showing some fellow third years some sort of George Weasley original that apparently snapped, cracked, and sparked – much to the delight of his peers standing around him. Hermione gave Anya a hug which she eagerly returned before pulling her back and looked her in the eye. "I'm going to tell you something that your father told your sister, only a bit more age appropriately, and I want you to take it to heart, you understand?"

"Yes," Anya said, tucking the loose pieces of hair that had fallen from her ponytail back behind her ears.

"You can miss your mother. You should miss your mother. You probably will every day and there is nothing wrong with that," Hermione insisted. "But it's ok to miss her, and not be sad. Your mother wouldn't want you to be sad."

Anya swallowed hard. "I know."

"I'm sure it's hard," Hermione stated. "I'm not going to say I know how it feels because I don't. But I knew your mother well enough to know that she didn't want you to be sad. It isn't a disservice to her memory if you're happy without her here to see it."

"I know," Anya repeated, looking directly at Hermione.

She leaned in and kissed the girl's cheek, her thumb quickly brushing away the faint lip stain. "I love you."

Anya giggled. "I love you too."

"Write to me and tell me how your talk with James goes."

"Will you promise not to show Dad?"

Hermione laughed. "Oh sweetheart, I've been censoring your letters since you came back this term."

Anya smirked. "You could have been a Slytherin, you know."

"I could have been many things," Hermione said with a grin. "But for your father's sake, it was probably a good thing a Slytherin was never one of them because he never would have survived it. Now scoot – I know you want to."

"Bye Hermione," Anya said with a wave. "Thanks for today."

"Anytime," Hermione replied. She watched as Anya gave her one more wave before jogging over to where James was, sliding onto the bench next to him and nudging him with her knee. He looked up at her and smiled, showing her what was in the box as something else managed to sparkle and pop. Hermione was thrilled that Anya was allowing herself to be friends with James at school despite the flack she received from her peers. She looked happier for it, and as far as Hermione was concerned, that was all that mattered.


	22. Chapter 22

_**This'll probably get another proofing tomorrow - but it's been forever since I've updated and I've been drinking on a beach since Tuesday. Sorry for the lull in updating - it's recruitment season at work and it's getting crazy. Poor excuse, maybe, but writing doesn't pay my bills yet lol!**_

* * *

><p>Nobody was getting any sleep in the Malfoy house as the shrill screams from Scorpius' bedroom echoed throughout the halls. It had been like this for two weeks. Hermione called them 'falling dreams' and had said that she'd read about them in a book and they were common with children at this age. Draco refrained from saying he didn't give a good goddamn where she read it and whether or not it was common. He was exhausted. Scorpius' screams would always wake up Claire, who would then get upset because it always took a few minutes to calm her brother down, and then Draco and Hermione found themselves with two children that wouldn't go back to sleep.<p>

Neither of them wanted to start a habit of the children sleeping in the bed with them. Hermione remembered when James was little and how Ginny would want to put him in bed with her and Harry and every time she mentioned it, Molly Weasley would look at her daughter and say _if you open that box it will never shut. Children belong in their beds. You children were never in our room._ Draco didn't even know what the inside of his parents' bedroom looked like. If he had a night terror, Dobby came in and tended to him so that his father wouldn't wake. Hermione, on the other hand, used to sneak into her parents room when she was a little girl, though most of the time it was because she woke up too early and her parents had no desire to wake before the sun came up. So she would snuggle up between the two of them and curl up next to her father, who would kiss her forehead and hug her tight.

While Claire had come into their room a few times early in the morning, it became a different story when early in the morning was actually half past midnight or a quarter past two, as it was the moment Draco finally left Claire's room as he was certain she would stay asleep. Thankful for not having to work in the morning, he walked the short distance from Claire's room to Scorpius' where he found his son sprawled out against Hermione's chest as she held him at an angle as they were slouched down in the plush rocking chair near his crib. Scorpius was going to need a toddler bed soon, but Draco wanted to get past this issue before he put him in something that allowed him to escape whenever his son got the whim to do so.

Despite his eyelids feeling like dead weights, he couldn't help but watch Hermione in moments like this. With Anya it was a moment in the park when she was four. He brought her along to the park for a play date with James. He sat on the bench with Ginny and Hermione, barely listening to whatever nonsense they were babbling about as he kept his focus on his daughter, jumping around the playground and following James' every move. When she jumped from a platform that was a tad bit too high and skinned her knee, she didn't run over to him, but to Hermione as big fat tears rolled down her high cheekbones. He brushed her tears away as Hermione pulled a small bottle of dittany from her purse, plopping a few drops onto the offended knee. She then pulled out a bright pink plaster and placed it over the faint remnants of her fall. Hermione kissed the plaster, then cupped Anya's small face with her hands and kissed her forehead.

"_It's all better, sweetheart," Hermione said softly as her thumbs brushed away the last of Anya's tears._

_Anya sniffled. "How come James didn't fall when he jumped?" _

"_Probably because it's a bit more solid than you are," Hermione said with a smile. "You're a bit more dainty than he is." _

Claire wasn't more than eight months old when Draco found Hermione walking around her office, Claire pressed against her chest as she cradled her with one arm while Anya sat at her desk with a stack of blank parchment and some crayons. He was quite concerned as to why his children where commandeering her office - and her - but she spoke before he could even ask.

"_Astoria came by," Hermione spoke quietly as her rocking steps were lulling Claire to sleep. "She said an emergency came up and that she needed to give you the children." _

"_An emergency? What sort of emergency?" _

_Hermione shrugged. "She didn't say. She looked like she was in quite the hurry though." _

Of course, he would find out later that the 'emergency' was actually a sale, but it was just the same old storied fight he had with his wife with a different verse. But the way Hermione held his son, the way she would comfort his daughters as if they were her own children. He understood her actions when he saw her with Potter's children, but he always found himself surprised when it was his children - in the beginning, anyway. He didn't feel for other children the way he felt for his own children. It took him what could have been an eternity to interact with the Potter children without feeling awkward, and then there was Hermione, who loved all of them equally, and cared for all of them as if she was always supposed to. Draco sometimes wondered if she still wanted children, and if she did, if she would regret her decision to be with him and raise his own children.

Carefully, Draco risked waking the sleep depriving monster that was his son from Hermione's grasp and gently placed him in his crib. He tucked his stuffed dragon under his arm and brought his blanket up over his body. Draco and Hermione had hardly spent any time in the same bed all week, as Hermione often fell asleep in the chair with Scorpius much in the way Draco found her while Draco would succumb to his daughter's teary wish for him to sleep in her princess bed with her.

"Granger," he whispered in her ear, his eyes heavy as he kissed her cheek.

"Hmmm?" she murmured, her eyes closed.

"I put Scorp in his bed," he mumbled. "Come on."

Hermione shifted slightly in the chair, her head drooping to the side. "Ok," she said, not really moving.

Draco shook his head, having clearly underestimated how exhausting the past two weeks had been for Hermione. Snaking an arm under her legs, he shook the exhaustion from his head long enough to pick Hermione up from the chair and carry her down the hall to her room - their room really as he had no desire to sleep in his old room anymore. It wasn't really any sort of discussion. Even now that the children - really the girls - were aware of their relationship, not much had changed. The covers still thrown back from when they both got up previously, Draco placed Hermione down on her side and covered her up before climbing into bed next to her. He punched the pillow underneath his head to his liking as she rolled over towards him, slipping a hand up under his thin t-shirt.

"If I wasn't so tired," Hermione said, her words garbling towards the end as a yawn overtook her.

Draco yawned as well, his arm over his mouth to stifle the groan before looking down at her with heavy eyes. He could feel her fingertips making lazy lines on his stomach. "The list of things I would do - to you in particular - if I wasn't so bloody tired is endless."

It took effort to laugh on Hermione's part as she snuggled up close to him. "It's just a phase," she mumbled. "They'll grow out of it."

Draco yawned again. "And if they don't?"

"We'll send them to live with my parents and then we can run away," Hermione deadpanned.

He stifled a snort while wrapping his arms around her. "Don't tempt me in this sort of state, Granger."

"With what?" Hermione said through another yawn. "Sex or giving the children away?"

"Both," Draco said with a snort. "Considering we're going to be awake in four hours."

She moved her hand from underneath his shirt and wrapped her arm around him, moving her head so that it rested up near the crook of his neck as he pulled the blankets back up over them. Hermione fell right back to sleep, an arm snuggly wrapped around his torso as half of her body shifted towards him, one of her legs draped between his. He closed his eyes as a hand snaked up underneath her tank top, his palm pressed against the warm skin of her back as he too felt himself quickly dozing back to sleep, knowing it would end all too soon.

* * *

><p>"You look like death warmed over."<p>

Anya gave James a glare as she sat down in their usual spot in the Great Hall for breakfast, a box of tissues in tow. Still glaring, she snatched two tissues from the box and blew her nose. She used her wand to then vanish the crumpled tissue in her hand. "I think I've caught a cold."

James nodded in agreement. "I'm sure Madam Pomfrey can get you some pepper-up potion."

She shook her head. "I hate pepper-up. I'm sure it'll go away on it's own." She grabbed two more tissues and blew her nose once more.

"It literally cures it on the spot, Anya," James said as he reached over to the toast tray, grabbing two pieces already buttered and jammed before setting them on her plate while Anya watched him curiously. "You only eat toast when you're sick. I've seen Gran make it for you."

Anya blinked twice before giving him a single nod. "I…I do. Yes. Thank you."

"Just like that time you and I caught dragon pox at the same time," James said with a smirk. "And Gran magicked those oven mitts Grandma Jean gave her for Christmas one year on our hands so we couldn't scratch."

The week and a half she was confined at the Burrow with dragon pox was one of the best weeks of her life. She and James caught dragon pox at the same time from the little wizarding play group they went to every Wednesday, and because Claire and Albus were so little, they were sent to the Burrow because everyone there had already had the awful disease. She remembered her mother going mental at the thought of her daughter being left at the Burrow, and while her father wasn't all that wild about it either, he knew Mrs. Weasley was the best person to take care of her as children were only committed to St. Mungo's for dragon pox when they had a severe allergic reaction to the potions.

She and James shared Fred and George's old room, and when she was feeling sad and sick Mrs. Weasley would scoop her up and hug her close, casting charms on her sores to dull the itch while she rocked her back and forth. Anya loved it when Mrs. Weasley would snuggle her close. She smelled like marshmallows and cherries, though James would say that it was strawberries, not cherries.

"Hey? Where's your head at?" James said, snapping her train of thought.

She shook her head and shrugged. "Nowhere. I did um, well, I had a question…hold on, I'm going to -"

James winced, moving his plate back a little bit as Anya caught her sneeze in her elbow. "You really should go see Madam Pomfrey."

Anya scowled. "Says the idiot that waited until the lacewing rash spread from his hand to all over his body."

"How was I supposed to know I was having an allergic reaction?"

"Um, maybe because the rash was spreading…like everywhere?"

Rolling his eyes, he scooped up some of his scrambled eggs onto his sliced piece of toast and took a bite, choosing to ignore her snarky remark.

Anya was convinced the only thing more foul than watching James shovel food into his mouth like a bottomless pit was being sick, and having to deal with both of them at once was tempting the limits of her gag reflex. "James, honestly, must you eat like you were raised by hippogriffs?"

He looked down at his lap, then to his sweater, and back at Anya. "I'm not even wearing my food this time! Sheesh, woman!"

She picked the crusts off of her toast before taking a bite. The two of them managed to finish breakfast in relative, albeit comfortable silence with a few intermittent sniffles. Word about the two of them going to the spring fling dance together spread around the school like wildfire, thanks to her 'friends' and of course, Peeves screeching the announcement up and down the hall. While the shocked gasps and giggles when people in their class had died down, the overall excitement for the dance next week was the topic of everyone's conversation. Everyone was planning on what they were doing before the dance, and some of the older kids were talking about what they were going to do _after_ the dance, and even though Anya was excited about going, she was ready for everyone to stop talking about it like it was the only event happening in the entire universe.

"Declan and Rhys want to know if we want to go to dinner with them before the dance," James managed to speak with only a half mouthful of food.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Who are they going to the dance with?"

"Rhys is going with Harleigh Halston, and Declan's going with Ellen Allen," James said. "Ellen isn't bad - she was in our mandrake planting group last year. She isn't too bad, a bit chatty, but you'll like Harleigh, I think."

"She's a muggle born witch, right?" Anya asked. "I think I remember meeting her first year on the train, but we never had any classes together. She's in Ravenclaw, right?"

James nodded. "Bloody brilliant, but she's not all girly like those nitwit friends of yours. She's also a dancer, but she doesn't do ballet. I think she's wears those clickity clack shoes like you used to wear when we were little."

"She's a tapper," Anya said with a laugh, only to then abruptly sneeze into her elbow again. "Merlin's beard I hate sneezing!"

"Merlin's beard go to the bloody hospital wing and get a potion!" James mimicked.

"Shove off, Potter," Anya shot at him before blowing her nose.

"Yeah yeah," he replied with a grin. "Anyway, if you want to go to dinner with them before the dance, we can, or we don't have to. It's up to you."

Shrugging, she finished her toast and began to root around in her bag. "We can eat dinner with them as long as Declan promises not to be a git."

"I don't make promises on his behalf," James replied. "What are you looking for?"

She found the one piece of paper she kept from her ballet packet, the glossy spread that gave a general overview of the program she'd been accepted to that summer. Handing it to him, she wiped her nose with the fresh tissue in hand. As his eyes scanned the one page flyer, Anya stole some grapes from his plate, watching him, waiting for him to get to the only bad part of the program.

He looked up at her, trying to mask his disappointment. "The whole summer? These dates…you'll barely be back in time for Hogwarts."

"I know."

"Not to mention all the things…we were going to go to the Quidditch world cup! And meet Viktor Krum!"

"I know!" she hissed. "For heaven's sake keep your ruddy voice down."

"I just…" he said, his staring flickering back and forth between the paper and Anya. "It's the whole summer," he said, rather dejectedly.

She tucked her hair back behind her ears. "I haven't decided if I'm doing it. I'm the youngest person to be accepted into their senior company program though. Hermione says she will see about me continuing in the junior company, because it's only four weeks."

James scratched the back of his neck. "You're the youngest girl to get into this group?"

She nodded. "It's mental. I'm not even that good."

"Obviously you are, if they offered you a spot," James said. "Despite the fact that it's going to take up your entire summer…maybe you should do it."

Anya sighed. "I don't know - I promised Claire I would be around."

"Claire will be fine," James said. "She'll be with Lily and Al, probably at the Burrow most of the summer, running around and playing like we used to when we were little."

She snorted. "You say used to as if we weren't doing the exact same thing last summer."

"But we have…had plans this summer. Things to do without the little kids - like the Quidditch cup."

"I don't know what I'm going to do yet," Anya said. "I just…I don't know. Herbology is about to start in fifteen minutes. Can we talk later? In the Room of Requirement?"

"I have quidditch practice tonight. I won't be done until seven at least."

"That's fine," Anya replied. "I've got to go ask Professor Longbottom about my essay before class starts. You better get going if you don't want to be late for Potions."

James rolled his eyes. "I hate that class…and the way Professor Nott stares at me like I'm disfigured."

"He stares at everyone like that," Anya replied before blowing her nose yet again. She stood up from the table and threw her bag over her shoulder. "It's just the look he has on his face."

"It's an awful look, you know. You'd think he'd have the good sense to change it," James groused as he collected his things. "He doesn't look at you like that."

Anya stifled a laugh as she blew her nose. "That's because I'm the daughter of Draco Malfoy - he knows better."

"Well I'm the son of the Chosen One."

"Yeah, Professor Nott could care less about that. See you later?"

He nodded. "Yeah, see you later."

* * *

><p>Draco caught himself falling asleep at his desk for the third time that day, and it was barely past noon. He couldn't imagine how exhausted Hermione was, caring for Scorpius knowing that she had to have been just as tired as he was. Staring at the work in front of him was pointless, as the words instantly began to blur together the moment his focus lasted longer than a minute. The last time he'd been this sleep deprived was when Claire was born. Astoria never got up with Claire when she was an infant, just as her mode of operation had been when Anya was born. It was always Draco getting the heel of her foot shoved into his calf, with a hoarse grumble of <em>make it stop<em>. Her rationale was that she cared for them all day, so Draco should care for them at night. Scorpius, however, had his mother's attention all night long as an infant, which Draco likened to the fact that she only ever wanted a son to begin with, and now she had one.

"You look like shit." He found Harry standing in his office doorway with a smirk on his face.

"Bugger off, Potter."

Harry walked into Draco's office and handed him a stack of junior auror reports to review. "You feeling alright?"

"My son had taken to screaming bloody murder in the middle of the night and is completely inconsolable, and will not fall back asleep on his own," Draco said as he yawned. "And then it wakes up Claire, who refuses to go back to sleep without one of us in bed. So Hermione goes and rocks Scorpius until he passes out and I wind up sleeping in Claire's room - which is no picnic, by the way. She sleeps just like her mother with those arms and legs flailing about. If I get one more elbow to the ribcage I'm going to have Granger brewing up some skele-gro. The girls never did this so I'm at a complete loss."

Harry nodded along to his story. "Albus went through a phase like that. Molly called them falling dreams."

"I don't give a damn what they're called, I need them to stop," he half groaned, half whined.

"I can tell you what I did, as long as you swear never to tell my wife," Harry said, looking around the office to make sure they were alone. His wife may not work at the Ministry but he was convinced at times that she had eyes and ears everywhere.

Draco was intrigued. "Why can't Ginny know?"

"Because…she can't. And forbade me to do it but I'm telling you Draco I looked just like you did and I was out there doing missions and decided that getting killed because I was too tired to function would ultimately piss her off more," Harry whispered in a hushed voice. "Besides, I only did for like, a week, and that was enough to get Albus back into the habit of sleeping throughout the night."

"So what is it then?"

"A sleeping draught," Harry whispered. "I put just a drop into a cup of chocolate milk and gave it to him before bed. Obviously an entire dose would do awful things, but a drop is just enough to keep them sleeping. It doesn't harm them 0 I double-checked with one of the auror medi-witches. Ginny, however, much like Molly, doesn't believe in giving draughts to small children because they should just 'cry it out' or some rubbish like that. I, however, would rather have a pleasant wife - who is the opposite of pleasant when sleep deprived, for the record."

He arched a brow. "And she never figured it out?"

"Maybe. Probably. I hope not," Harry rattled. "I figure if she knows she's either secretly glad I did it or just waiting for the right moment to use it."

"You're wife is scary sometimes," Draco said. "You know that, right?"

"Yes, and don't think for a second that Hermione Granger is any different," Harry said with a chuckle.

Draco yawned again, not even bothering to cover his mouth. "Believe me, Potter, I'm well aware." He slouched back in his chair and let out a stress relieving exhale. "So…just a drop."

"Just a drop," Harry confirmed. "Trust me. You won't regret it in the morning."

He chuckled as he dragged a hand down his face. "I'll be sure to give you a full report tomorrow."

"Is everything else ok?" Harry asked. "With you…and Hermione?"

Nodding, Draco sighed as he picked up a quill from his desk, fiddling with it between his fingers. "We're great. I'm completely terrified about my feelings when it comes to her, but aside from that, we're fine. We told the girls about us the other day during Anya's Hogsmeade weekend and the girls seemed happy about it, which was a relief."

Harry laughed. "Anya held it together? Really?"

"I was just as surprised as you," Draco replied. "She and Granger had their own talk though afterwards…she's somehow able to talk to my daughter without her going completely mental - something I've never been able to completely do with her. She usually has to implode first and storm off before I can make her see reason."

Relaxing in the guest chair across from Draco's desk, Harry clicked his tongue in a knowingly fashion. "Hermione's really good at listening to a person ramble, and then figuring out what they're trying to say. It's the only reason she didn't kill Ron when we were growing up. He could never just say what he was thinking, and Hermione cared for him so much - especially as we got older - that even if she was completely frustrated with him, she would find a way to figure out what he wanted to say because she was convinced if he could just say it, he would."

Draco wanted to roll his eyes, but he knew he had the same problem sometimes. And of course, Hermione was usually the one who sorted out his thoughts. He wished he could blame it on Astoria, but he knew Anya got that same inability to just say what she was thinking from him.

"Why are you scared?" Harry asked after a few silent moments had passed.

He shrugged. "Because…she can do better. She's still young enough. She could marry someone else, have children that are hers, have her own family instead of this…insanity…and I'm afraid she'll regret this when she's older, when the children are grown. She's giving up everything and I know she says she isn't but who in their right mind takes on a man with three children?"

"She hasn't gone running for the hills yet, Draco," Harry said with sincerity. "What makes you think she will?"

"That's just it - I don't think she will," Draco replied. "But that doesn't mean she won't want to. I've lived that existence - it's bloody miserable. Hermione doesn't deserve it."

Harry absently scratched his scar before pushing his glasses up at the bridge of his nose. "Hermione is with someone who loves her - which you do, right?"

"Of course I do!" Draco snapped.

"So she's with someone who loves her," Harry repeated. "Someone who will take care of her, and has children that adores her as much as she adores them. What about that doesn't Hermione deserve?"

Draco sighed. "You know having your own children is different."

"Teddy isn't 'mine' but my head doesn't differentiate it," Harry replied. "He calls me Dad, calls Ginny Mum, and I don't love him any more or less than my own children because Teddy is mine in every way that counts."

"How can you be sure Hermione feels that way? The way you do about Teddy?"

"Because if she didn't, she never would have told your wife yes," Harry said, standing up to his feet. "And if having a baby is really that important to Hermione - which you'll never know if it is unless you talk to her - then date her for a bit, and knock her up."

Draco arched an eyebrow. "Did you just tell me to impregnate Hermione Granger?"

"I didn't stutter," Harry replied with a laugh. "Also - I'm leaving work early today so I can take Lily to her first tumbling class with Ginny, who swore if I missed it I'd be reacquainted with the couch for a week. You may as well take off early too, considering you look like you could sleep at your desk."

He shrugged as he began to organize the stack of paperwork Harry bought to him. "Does your wife banish you to the couch often?"

"Only when I don't listen," Harry said with a laugh.

* * *

><p>"Twenty three…twenty four…twenty five - hey Grandpa, I can see that hanging ball thing in the back of your throat! It's kind of gross."<p>

"At's alled ah eueha."

Claire scrunched her nose up as she sat on the dentist's chair, raised as high as it could go as Richard sat up slightly on the patient table. "It's called a what?"

"It's called a uvula," Richard repeated as he now had full use of his mouth.

Claire looked at him funny, her hands donning latex gloves too big for her hands as she held a small dental mirror in one. "That's a weird word."

"Very true," Richard agreed.

She blew a few loose wisps of hair away from her face. "Grandpa?"

"Yes, Claire Bear?"

She sighed, putting the mirror on the tray next to her as she slouched while sitting on her knees. "I didn't have a good day at school."

This was what Richard was waiting for from the moment he saw the sullen girl walk in with Jean after school. He heard what had happened from Jean, at least what the teacher relayed to her, but Jean was unsuccessful in getting anything out of her on the way from school to their dental practice. So Richard did what he used to do with his own daughter when he was little - he let her do her own thing until she came out with it on her own terms. Today, her thing was pretending to be a dentist while he was the patient.

Richard sat up on the chair and swiveled his legs so that they hung off the patient table, his knees bumping the chair she was perched upon. He tugged on a curl with one hand and plucked her nose with another. "Will you tell Grandpa about it?"

Claire shrugged. "Will you promise not to tell anyone?"

"I promise not to tell anyone," Richard solemnly promised.

Sighing, Claire looked down at the gloves on her hands as she fiddled with them. "I accidentally on purpose used magic at school today."

Richard arched a curious eyebrow. "Accidentally on purpose, you say? Care to elaborate?"

"I don't know that means, but like I told Miss Morley, I didn't mean to make Callum's hands sticked together. I only meant for his hands to sticked to the paper."

"How stuck were his hands?" Richard asked, trying his best to mask his amusement with a serious face.

She bit the inside of her cheek and wrung her gloved clad hands together. "Until I made them unstucked. Miss Morley tried to unstucked them. She pulled and she pulled and the school nurse came, and she pulled and she pulled and no matter how much she pulled they stayed stucked…until I made them break apart."

He nodded, urging her to continue. "You know…being a Muggle, I'm not privy to lots of magic rules, but I'm almost quite positive I once heard Hermione say that witches and wizards aren't supposed to use magic in front of Muggles."

"But he just made me so mad!" she wailed. "We were making pictures in art this afternoon and I was making a picture for Mummy for Hermione and me to send up to heaven to her like we did with my valentine and Callum said I couldn't do it because my mummy was dead and dead people don't read and then I said I could because Hermione said I could and then he said that Hermione was stupid and I said no she isn't and that he didn't know what he was talking about and I _then _I called him a big bogey head and then he called me a big dumbo because I was too dumb to know that dead people can't read and -"

"Ok," Richard interjected gently; fearful the little girl would turn blue from lack of air. "Let's calm down for a moment, catch our breath. Now, who is Callum?"

Claire sniffled. "A mean boy in Grade 1. My class and his class have art together."

"And you stuck his hands together because he said you couldn't make your mummy a picture?"

She nodded.

"But how did you do it if you don't have a wand yet?"

Claire shrugged. "I just stared really hard at him and I was so mad that it just…happened. I meant to do it when he went to take my paper but he clapped his hands together first and that's…when they got stucked."

* * *

><p>"You realize I had to send a team of aurors to about fifteen different houses to modify memories today!" Draco exclaimed later that night. His early day turned into a long day when he got word of Claire's incident at school from Hermione, who heard it from her parents. His voice hissed with frustration as to not wake up Scorpius who was asleep, curled up in Hermione's arms as she leaned into the crook of the couch. "I don't care how upset she is - she cannot be in a muggle primary school and perform magic! She's old enough to know how to control it! If this continues we'll have to home school her!"<p>

Scorpius stirred and Hermione cradled him closer, shifting him slightly as she wondered how many more times she could do this before he became too big to hold this way while asleep. Moving his head so that it rested on her shoulder, Hermione hugged Scorpius against her and looked at Draco. "She cannot control her grief, Draco. I don't care how old she is," she calmly whispered. "What that boy said was beyond rude, and had aurors not gone to modify their memories, I would have had stern words with his mother about her son's lack of common courtesy."

Draco continued to pace around the room. He was furious about the entire situation, despite it being handled in way that it would never be brought up again - thanks in part to the aurors - but a mean child upset his daughter today and it just infuriated him to no end. "She bloody stuck his hands together," he muttered as he paced.

Hermione did her best to hide her amusement as Draco's inner thoughts randomly slipped out as he wore a hole in the floor. She picked up one of Scorpius' arms and dropped it. As it dropped with a thud, signifying to Hermione that he was oblivious to the world for the next eight hours, she shifted again, carefully standing up from the couch. On her feet, she gently swayed, pressing a light kiss to his forehead while staring at Draco. He caught her stare and stopped.

"What?" he asked.

She shrugged, her cheek resting against Scorpius' little head. "Nothing."

"No, don't lie to me," Draco snipped. "You have that look on your face when you're resisting the urge to tell me something that only you will find humorous."

Hermione shrugged again. "I find nothing humorous about Claire's situation. Nothing humorous at all."

He scowled. "But..."

"I just can't help but notice how similar you look to my father…when I came home from my first year of Hogwarts and told him all about this mean and _unusually_ pale boy who said awful, _awful _things to me and my dad…he just paced and paced and swore…just like someone else I know. Hmmm…interesting."

His shoulders dropped as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "So you're saying this is some sort of karma - I'm a complete git to you for six years and this is my punishment?"

"Not at all," Hermione replied, standing up on her tiptoes for a brief moment as she stole a kiss from him. "I just had a small, personal moment of self satisfaction. "I'm going to put your son to bed."

He shook his head. "I'll have an elf do it."

"You don't need an elf to do it," Hermione replied. "It will take all of five seconds."

Draco stifled a groan. "Granger…"

She stood on her tiptoes once more and stole another kiss. "I'm putting your son to bed," she repeated. "I'm putting him to bed, I'm checking on Claire, and then I'm going to - "

"No," Draco said, reaching for his son. "I'll do it."

"You sure?"

"You've put him down every night for weeks," he whispered as Hermione carefully passed the sleeping boy over to him. He held his son diagonally against his chest, his legs hanging like dead weight. "I can put him to bed."

Nodding, Hermione watched as Draco disappeared with his son. Picking up a handful of toys, she sent them off to the toy box with a bit of magic and headed upstairs herself, walking into Claire's room. She found her sitting in bed with her tiara on, brushing pretend Claire's hair as she trapped the doll between her legs. "Claire, can I talk to you for a bit?"

Claire looked up at Hermione and her lower lip quivered. "Are you going to yell like Daddy did?"

She shook her head no. "Daddy didn't mean to yell, Claire. He's just tired. We're all tired lately, and he was more upset that your feelings were hurt at school more than he was about you sticking Callum's hands together."

"Does that mean I'm not grounded anymore?" Claire asked hopefully.

Hermione sat down on the edge of Claire's bed. "You're still grounded, but it's only for a week. Do you understand why Daddy was upset about you using magic?"

She glumly nodded. "Because not everyone is a wizard or a witch."

"Exactly," Hermione said, brushing a hand over her head, mindful of the tiara. "When muggles see things they cannot explain…it makes them freak out a bit. That's why Daddy had to send the aurors over to change their memories. If Callum told people his hands just stuck together, everyone would think he was completely mental because in the muggle world, hands just don't stick together. Magic isn't real in their world. It's merely a means of entertainment, where people pretend to do magic when often times it's just a mind trick."

Claire looked at Hermione. "A mind trick?"

"Like when Grandpa Granger pulls coins out of your ear," Hermione clarified. "Grandpa isn't a wizard, so he can't pull coins from people's ears. It's an illusion - a mind trick. He can't really pull money out of your ear. Do you understand?"

Claire nodded. She put pretend Claire on her pillow by the wall and gave Hermione her brush to put on her nightstand. "Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"I don't like that I don't have a mummy anymore," she whispered.

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat. "I don't like that you don't have a mummy either, sweetheart." She pulled Claire up onto her lap and hugged her close. "I'll never replace your mummy, but I love you just as much," Hermione whispered in her ear.

Claire nodded, hugging her small arms around Hermione. "I'm glad you are Daddy's girlfriend," she said. "Cause I don't know if I'd like anyone else as much as I like you."

Hermione sniffled as she laughed, shaking her head as she kissed Claire's temple. "You're something else, Claire bear."

Claire giggled. "I know." She looked up at Hermione as her tiara tilted sideways. "I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too, Claire," she replied, their lips pecking together lightly before Hermione put Claire back in bed. She helped her get under the covers and placed her tiara on her nightstand. "Sleep tight, ok?"

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Can you make it so I don't hear Scorpius wake up?" Claire asked. "Because I'm so tired and Daddy is awful to sleep with when I can't fall back asleep. He wiggles too much."

Hermione felt incredibly stupid as she nodded. Why they hadn't thrown a silencing charm around her room the moment Scorpius started this awful habit. "Of course," she said. "We should have thought of that sooner. Goodnight."

She yawned. "Goodnight Hermione."

Hermione was startled the moment she finished warding Claire's room, as Draco was sitting on the floor next to the door. "You know I hate that!" she hissed, kicking him lightly in the calf.

Draco merely shrugged, without a witty retort as he stared at the wall in front of him. "I gave Scorpius a drop of sleeping draught in a drink," he confessed. "I feel awful."

She looked surprised, unsure of what to say. Sitting down next to him, she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Why do you feel awful?"

He shrugged. "Because I selfishly medicated my child so I can sleep. Potter gave me the idea - said he did it to Al when he was going through this phase."

She giggled, resting her head on his shoulder. "Ginny always suspected he did something."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. "She wasn't strong enough to do it - thought it would make her an awful parent. At least that's what she said. But once he started sleeping again, she decided not to care how Harry did it, because she was so tired she couldn't see straight."

He turned and looked at her. "So you don't think I did a bad thing?"

Hermione shrugged. "He's your son, Draco. You made a decision. I doubt a drop is strong enough to do anything harmful, and I doubt Harry would have suggested it if it was." Standing up, she held her hands out to him and waited for him to grab them before helping him stand up to his feet. Her arms slipped around his waist as she buried her face into his chest. "Something else is bothering you," she said when he barely returned the hug. "I can tell."

He gave her a weak smile. "I'm just tired."

"Liar," Hermione said.

"I know," Draco said with a sigh. "I'm going to go get into the shower, see if it wakes me up a bit. If I go to bed now I'll be up ghastly early."

She let go of him, crossing her arms against her chest as he kissed her forehead before walking towards their room.

* * *

><p>Anya had fallen asleep in the Room of Requirement waiting for James. A potions book was open against her chest as she was curled up on the couch, a dull fire keeping her warm in lieu of a blanket. She smelled him before she woke up, the scent of his mint shampoo wafting through the air as he carefully sat down on the couch next to her.<p>

"Practice ran late," he said as her eyes fluttered open. "You still feeling poorly?"

"I went and got a pepper-up," she said. "I just haven't been sleeping well lately…which is probably how I caught the cold to begin with."

James nodded, removing the book from her chest and placing it on her bag. "What did you want to talk about earlier?"

Anya sat upright, tucking her legs up underneath her as she clasped her hands together nervously. "I um, I was…curious…as to why you asked me to…the dance."

He laughed at her and shook his head. "You were curious?" he repeated. "You know, YaYa, most girls would assume that if a boy asked a girl to a dance, it was because he liked her."

She snapped her eyes up, wide eyed as she caught his stare. "Is that…is that what you're saying then? That you like me…like like me like me?"

James shrugged, his shaggy locks ruffling against his forehead a bit. "I have for a while, I reckon. Of course, after marrying you every single day in the back yard when we were five, I guess this was bound to happen," he tried to tease in an attempt to lighten his nerves.

She stared at him, unsure of what to say. It was one thing for Declan to say James liked her, but it was another to hear it directly come from his mouth. "James…"

"If you don't like me back, like that anyway," he said, a little bit quickly, "just don't say anything."

"I wasn't going to say that," Anya quickly retorted. "I…I do like you. Which was easier to ignore when I was being mean to you, if you must know."

James laughed. "Nice."

"It's true," Anya whispered.

He scooted closer to her for a moment, and Anya leaned into him, resting her head on his chest as he yawned. Wrapping an arm around her, he hugged her and smiled as she hugged him back. "Does this mean you're my girlfriend?" he teased.

She nodded, hugging him tighter before abruptly looking up at him. "You can't kiss me though. At least not with your tongue. Elsie was talking about it the other day in the dorms and I nearly gagged. It sounds foul."

He laughed at her rambling and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. "We're almost fourteen, Anya. I just want to hold your hand."

"Really?" Anya asked.

He earnestly nodded. "Really."

She inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly. "I guess that would be ok then."

He smirked as she rested her head back down on his chest. "Why can't you sleep?"

She shook her head, her eyes closing as she sighed. "I have nightmares," she whispered.

"What kind of nightmares?" he asked quietly.

"It's the same nightmare, just a different place," she replied. "I'm always with my mum somewhere, and in the nightmare she always dies, and I'm the only one there and I can't…I can't save her."

James shifted slightly so that he was slouched down a bit on the couch, kicking his feet up on the ottoman that appeared in front of him with a throw sitting on top. He flipped his foot under the throw and kicked it up towards him, draping it over Anya as he felt her silent tears soak through his shirt. James hugged her close to him and sighed. "Anya, you need to be able to just sleep."

"I know."

"Why aren't you taking dreamless sleep? Surely Madam Pomfrey would give you some."

Anya sniffled. "Because I like seeing her in my dreams. I just don't like watching her die every time."

"You couldn't have saved her," he whispered in Anya's ear.

"I know," she whispered back. "I'm just tired of missing her."

"You'll always miss her."

"But I want to be able to miss her and still function!" Anya cried. "Don't you see? I hate being like this! I hate it! It's affecting everything! I know my teachers are cutting me slack in class and everyone treats me weird and I hate it!"

James shushed her, rubbing a hand up and down her arm as she calmed down. Silence drifted between them as her sobs dulled into slow, heaving sighs. James continued to keep an arm around her; unsure of what else he could possibly do until he realized that she was sound asleep. He thought about waking her, and decided against it. She needed sleep, and since they didn't have classes tomorrow, James figured a night in the Room of Requirement wouldn't kill them if it meant Anya got some sleep.

* * *

><p>Hermione sat in bed, her knees propping up a book she rented from the library near her parents house about how children deal with grief. Having never lost anyone close to her in the way the children had, she thought that if she read up on the subject, she might be able to help them better. She turned a page, reading slowly while reaching for a bottle of lotion she kept next to her bed. She worked the lotion into her hands before vigorously moving up her arms when Draco walked into the room wearing nothing but a towel.<p>

"What are you reading?" he asked.

She told him, and waited for him to respond. When he didn't, she clapped the book shut, startling him as he shimmied into his boxers. "What is bothering you?" she hotly asked. "Because if you think I'm above beating it out of you I'm not. You're not the only exhausted person in this room!"

Draco rolled his eyes, half expecting the book to get thrown at him. When all he received was an icy glare, Draco pulled a shirt on and picked up the towel from the floor, scrubbing his head dry. "I'm just tired," he said to her.

"Stop saying that," Hermione said. "I know you're wound up about the Claire situation today but it's clearly more than that so just spit it out!"

"Nothing's a matter!" he lied. "For Merlin's sake I hate it when you get all Little Miss Know-it All on me! I said I was tired, Hermione! Why can't you just leave it at that!"

Leaping out of bed, Hermione physically pushed past Draco and walked out of the room without speaking a word. If she had a galleon for every time Ron Weasley uttered that phrase to her she'd have an entirely different vault at Gringotts filled to the brim. He could call her whatever he wanted. She knew something was bothering him and she was damned if she would sit in that room - let alone sleep with him - without him telling her what was wrong.

Her mind was reeling a mile a minute with every worse case scenario possible, the one at the forefront of her mind being that he wanted to go back to being just friends. The more she thought about it the bigger the pit grew in her stomach. The moment she unlocked the box that contained her suppressed feelings for Draco Malfoy she knew there was a good chance of falling in too deep. What she felt for Draco was completely different from her relationship with Ron. When she and Ron finally got together, it was like the novelty of it all wore off. They did whatever they were supposed to do because they finally got their act together, minus the whole reproducing part. The two of them just followed the motions to the point that there was no effort really on either part. It still didn't make him leaving her, cheating on her, with Lavender Brown any easier on her, but she would have been lying if she said she didn't feel somewhat of a heavy weight lift from her shoulders once she was done grieving the lost of a decades long relationship.

Taking the children completely out of the equation, the thought of losing Draco now that she was with him made her feel ill. They were different but similar in all the ways she wasn't with Ron. They were intellectual equals that allowed them to banter when they argued different and often times equally correct points. They could sit in a room silently, tonight being an exception, without feeling the need to speak because their presence alone was enough. Sometimes all it took was a look when they were separated across a room for them to speak with one another without a miscommunication. He made her feel like she was more than enough, after spending nearly a lifetime with someone else who made her feel like she was never enough.

By the time she felt a tear trail down her cheek, she heard Draco's footsteps enter the living room as he walked up behind the couch she was sitting on. She closed her eyes as his hands gently grabbed her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "It's been two hours, Hermione, and I can't sleep without you anymore," he confessed.

She wiped her tears away with her bare arm and looked down in her lap. "You can't not talk to me," her voice cracked. "And you can call me whatever name you want because I know I'm right and I know something is bothering you and I'll be dammed if I leave it alone - especially when you make me feel like it has to do with me because you won't _talk_ to me."

"Please come to bed," Draco softly pleaded.

"Please tell me what's wrong."

"At the moment it's you refusing to come to bed," he lamely joked.

She whipped her head around and glared at him. "Do I look like someone you should joke with right now? Are you really going to do that right now? Because if you are you will be sleeping alone because I won't come near you."

Draco sighed. "Look, Granger, I've just been tired and I know you're bloody tired too and I guess…I don't know, ok? I watch you with my children - I've watched you with my children - and I find myself constantly telling myself that I couldn't do what you're doing. I love my children and they're the only children I love. I only moved from tolerating to liking Potter's spawn a year or two ago and that was only because of you. My wife trapped you into this, and I'm only trapping you further by pursuing a relationship with you and -"

She cut him off with a sharply raised hand. Standing up, she walked around the couch so that she was toe to toe with him and used the same hand to smack him hard in the chest, not caring a minute as he winced. "Does it look like I'm chained here? Does it look like I'm in this house against my own free will? Does it look like I'm being forced to get up every night to deal with children who cry because they want the one thing that neither of us can give them? Well? Does it?"

He looked at her as he rubbed his chest with his hand. "If I answer, are you going to hit me again?"

"I might hit you regardless," she replied. "Because you're acting like a twit." She jabbed a finger into the spot she hit as she spoke. "I'm. Not. Leaving. You. The sooner you get that through your idiotic skull the less bruising you'll receive."

"But you're still young," Draco argued. "You could be with someone who could give you children - you're own children -"

"Draco I made peace with not having my own children a year after my divorce was finalized," Hermione said. "I have your children that I love like my own and if that's all I ever get I swear to you that it'll be enough."

"You deserve a family of your own," Draco tried to reason. "And I already have three children."

"I never asked you to get me pregnant as some sort of exchange for caring for your children!" Hermione snapped.

"I never said you did!" he snapped right back.

"Then why are you acting like I'm going to leave you! I've been left, Draco. I would never do that to someone. Especially considering I know what it feels like."

"What if this doesn't work?"

"Well then I guess we learn to live amicably in the same house - like we told the children we would," Hermione retorted.

"Hermione -"

"If you don't want to be with me, just say it," Hermione cut him off. "Just tell me now, so I can save face with the girls."

Draco's eyes went wide. "That's just it, Hermione. I want to be with you. But I feel like you deserve more than just a boyfriend and I don't know if I'll ever be able to be more than that."

"No one here is asking you to be more than that!" Hermione exclaimed.

"You deserve a husband, Hermione," Draco stated. "You out of everyone I know deserve a loving husband and children who have your rats nest of a hairdo and with button noses consistently stuck in a book."

"We've barely been 'dating' for a few months, Draco," Hermione tried to reason. "And I don't have to ever get married again. I don't care what happens anymore, as long as you're there next to me. You can be my boyfriend until I die - it won't make a damn bit of difference. All that matters is that I love you, and that you love me back."

"I do love you back," Draco hoarsely replied. "Which is why all of this terrifies the shit out of me."

"You're an idiot," Hermione stated. Flinging her arms up around his neck, she jumped and latched her legs around his waist and kissed him hard. His hands pressed into her back as he returned the kiss, walking her back into a wall. "A gigantic idiot," she told him as his lips moved down her neck. She leaned against the wall as one of his hands yanked down his boxers before pushing her loose pajama shorts to the side and sliding a few fingers between her wet folds. "Oh god," she gasped as two fingers slid into her.

"Granger," Draco mumbled as he kissed her neck. "I want you. All the time I want you and I don't want you to want anyone else."

"I don't want anyone else," she gasped. "I'll never want anyone else."

He pulled his fingers out of her and replaced them with his throbbing cock, nearly losing it as he pushed himself inside of her. Their sex life had been halted due to the lack of sleep, and he knew he wasn't going to last long as he felt her clench around him. Thrusting up into her, Hermione slipped her arms out of her tank top and couldn't contain the moan as his mouth latched onto a nipple.

She came before she could even try to stop herself, her orgasm crushing her senses as she tightly squeezed Draco's waist with her legs as she leaned into the wall with her upper back. Overwhelmed with emotion, her orgasm continued long enough for one last thrust from Draco, who swore loudly as he pinned her to the wall with his body, still completely inside of her. "I couldn't tell you the last time I had sex against a wall," he managed to speak with a laugh.

Hermione smacked his shoulder as he kissed her collarbone. "I don't want to know about you having sex with other women against a wall."

He laughed and looked up at Hermione, gently kissing her lips. "You're the only person I want to have sex with against a wall."

"I better be the only person you want to have sex with period," Hermione said in her authoritative voice. "Even if I am a little Miss Know-It All."

He kissed her again and pressed his forehead to hers. "I'm sorry about that."

"You should be," she said. "Considering the fact that I was right."

Pulling out of her, he carefully set her back down on the ground and reached for the boxers around his ankles. "Hermione, believe me when I tell you that I'm aware that you're always right - even when I choose to say otherwise."

She slipped her arms through the straps of her tank top again and fixed her shorts. "Well if that's the case, I guess I can come back to bed."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the stairs. "You guess?"

She shrugged. "I can't sleep without you either."


	23. Chapter 23

_**So...the story is winding down. I don't see this going past 30 chapters, if my creativity makes it that far, which is sad because I have enjoyed writing this story. But I have a few other ideas percolating but most importantly - I have to finish 'Show Me What I'm Looking For' before I am burned at the stake! **_

_**Just kidding about the burning at the stake part - but I am paying attention to the 'finish these' reviews. I promise!**_

_**Anyway, like always, I hope you enjoy, and I thank you over and over again for all the support. It really does mean the world to me. Some day, I may get the courage to write a real book...and I'll have all of you to thank.**_

* * *

><p>"I just don't understand <em>why<em> I gots to go to school if Anya is coming home today!" Claire cried as she pulled her plaid dress jumper over her white blouse. "I want to go to the train station to get her with you guys!"

Hermione buttoned up the back of her jumper dress while Draco stood in the doorway of her bedroom. "The train won't arrive until about a half hour before school ends for you," Hermione explained for the umpteenth time. "We will go get Anya, and then we will go straight to your school and pick you up, and then we're all going to go to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner."

Claire sighed as her eyes locked with her father's, hoping he would change his mind and let her stay home. "Sorry, princess," Draco replied. "We're already letting you stay home all week with Anya while she's on her break, so you can't miss today."

Her shoulders dropped in defeat. "Go find your shoes," Hermione gently instructed. "And your hairbrush, and bring them downstairs." She kissed her forehead and stood up to her feet with a playful smile. "And quit that sulking, or else I'm going to let Daddy do your hair today."

"You wouldn't!" Claire exclaimed.

"Keep that pout up and you'll find out," Hermione said with a wink before leaving her room. Draco followed her down the stairs and to the kitchen, where she found Harby watching Scorp as he sat in his new booster seat at the table, dipping pieces of waffle into a syrup cup. "Mum!" he squealed, holding a syrup dripping bite in Hermione's direction. "Mum bite!"

Hermione would be lying she said her heart didn't stop for a moment each time she heard Scorpius call her Mum. At first she was against it, but Draco encouraged it, and now it just made her break out into a smile each time she heard it. The first time was the last time he woke up in the middle of the night nearly a month ago. Draco made it to the room first, moving to pick him up but Scorpius furiously shook his head and chanted no.

"_Draco, what is it?" Hermione asked as she walked into his room, tying her robe around her waist as she yawned. "Why is he still crying?" _

"_Because I keep trying to pick him up and he keeps preventing me from doing so," he replied._

_She moved closer to the crib and looked down at the teary eyed boy. His arms immediately went up when he saw Hermione. "Mum!" he sniffled. "Mum!" _

_Hermione scooped him out of his crib and held him close as she rocked back and forth on her feet. "You miss your mummy," she whispered in his ear. When she finally had him calmed down, she looked over at Draco, who looked like he wanted to hold his son. "Do you want to see Daddy?" she asked him._

_He shook his head. "No, I want Mummy," Scorpius said, holding his small arms around her neck tighter, his little face burying into the crook of her neck. "My mummy. Mine." _

"Bite!" Scorpius squealed as the syrup dripped onto the floor.

Shaking her head back to reality, Hermione took a bite from Scorpius and hummed loudly. "Delicious!" she exclaimed. "What a good sharer you are!"

"I share!" Scorpius exclaimed.

"Can I have a bite?" Draco asked.

"No," Scorpius quickly but plainly replied. "Mummy share. No Dad."

Hermione looked at Scorpius and scuffled his curls with her hand. "You should share with Daddy," she said. "Daddy would share with you."

"Um…no," Scorpius replied as he dunked another waffle bite into the syrup with gusto.

Draco took a plate of waffles from Harby and set it down on the table next to Scorpius. Hermione walked over to him and sat down on his lap. She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I would share with you," she mumbled against his lips before kissing him again.

"You damn well better," he muttered, stealing another kiss.

Claire hopped down the stairs one at a time with her hairbrush and bows in hand when she caught her father kissing Hermione, causing her to screech with glee. "Daddy and Hermione, sitting in a tree!" she sang as Draco and Hermione pulled away, blushing at Claire's taunting song. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, second comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby - hey! Can Hermione have a baby!"

Draco spit out the coffee he's just managed to get into his mouth, choking as Hermione turned up her nose, giving him a good whack on the back in the process. "I think we're pretty busy with you three," Hermione said. "Especially you."

"That's for goddamn sure," Draco said under his breath as Harby scurried around him, cleaning up the mess.

Claire sighed dramatically as she walked over to Hermione and handed her the hairbrush. "I just want a sister."

"You have a sister," Draco said. "One that's coming home today - one you've been dying to see since she got her dress for her dance."

She shook her head as Hermione gathered her hair and began to brush out the tangles. "I want a _little_ sister, Daddy."

"If we don't get your brother's hair cut soon people are going to think he's your sister," Draco said, making a mental note to get that done next week while he was off work.

"_Dad_," Claire said with utter exasperation. "Scorpius doesn't like to play tea party, and he keeps pulling the heads off of my dolls. Which is why I need a little sister."

"You want to know what I need?" Draco asked, plucking the end of her pointed nose. "I need you to keep your room clean. I _need_ you to quit leaving those tiny doll shoes lying around because if Daddy steps on one more plastic high heel your dolls will all be barefoot."

Claire stared at her father, completely unimpressed. "Daddy, you can't get rid of my Cinderella's shoes. You have to have shoes to play Cinderella."

He gave her the same unimpressed look right back. "Well then I guess you better keep an eye on where you leave them." He pulled her chair out at the table as Hermione finished her hair. "Now sit down and eat. The sooner you go to school, the sooner you'll get to see your sister. Now eat up." He pushed her up to the table and handed her a fork, kissing the top of her head. He saw Hermione standing at the counter, buttering some toast over a plate.

"Do you want some?" she asked.

He grabbed his cup of coffee from the table.

"Don't bring that over here."

"Gotcha." He put the cup back on the table before walking over to her. She held out a piece and he took a bite. "Thanks."

"Told you I'd share," she replied, standing up on her tiptoes as she gave him another kiss.

* * *

><p>James and Anya found their cabin on the train, both of them stifling yawns as they were up late the night before at the dance. James took their bags and tossed them up on the rack over the seats as Anya sat down in the corner of the bench. She lifted her legs up as James sat down, draping them over his lap as she yawned into the back of her hand.<p>

"Why did we stay up so late again?"

"Because Declan was hexed by Ellen's brother for trying to stick his tongue in her mouth, and it took Madam Pomfrey a few hours to wake him up," James said, half laughing half yawning. "Bloody idiot."

"Can't say he's all that bright," Anya replied with a smirk. "Can't say I didn't enjoy watching him get hexed, either."

James poked her leg with a finger. "You're just upset it wasn't you that hexed him."

"Only a little bit," Anya reassured James with a grin. She nestled her head on her shoulder and leaned against the corner of the cabin. She crossed her arms against her chest and sighed.

He looked over at her, noticing her long black locks were curled, much like they were last night, and shook his head. "That almost sounded like a happy sigh."

She shrugged and closed her eyes. "Maybe it was."

"Maybe, huh? And why's that?"

Anya looked at him. "Maybe it's because I enjoyed being at the dance last night. Maybe it's because our birthday is on Sunday, which means that I get presents, and Grandma Jean's blueberry cheesecake."

James laughed. "It is good cheesecake. If I had blueberry cheesecake and Gran's treacle tarts on the same day, it would probably be the best day. I might see if I can make that happen."

She stifled a yawn and a laugh. "You do that. I'm going to take a nap."

"Ok," he replied, giving one of her jean clad thighs a light pat. "Um, Anya?"

"Hmm?" she asked, her eyes staying closed.

"I um, I just wanted to tell you that I uh…I like your hair like that. With those curls I mean."

"Thanks," she said, her eyes still closed. She noticed him staring at them last night, telling her that it was different, but a 'good' different. Her hair was pulled half back last night, a bit fancier than the loose curls she wore in her hair today, but Anya could have sworn it made her look older when she looked in the mirror. She opened her eyes and found him staring at her, his cheeks blushing slightly at being caught. "I had a good time at the dance with you last night."

He grinned. "Just a good time?"

"The best time," Anya corrected with her trademark smirk. "Now stop talking to me so I can sleep. I'm exhausted."

James laughed as Anya tucked her head back on her shoulder and leaned against the soft back of the train bench. Scooting closer to her, he reached out a hand and cupped it with hers, perfectly content to sit this way until they reached King's Cross.

* * *

><p>"Can you believe our kids are going to be fourteen in two days?"<p>

Draco looked over at Harry, the two of them sharing a bench as they waited for the Hogwarts Express to pull into Platform 9 3/4. "I'm choosing not to acknowledge the fact that my daughter is turning fourteen, Potter."

Harry laughed as a few wizards passed them, giving them odd and peculiar stares as they whispered. "You'd think they'd get used to the sight of us together after all this time."

"I could have brought Dumbledore back to life and I would still get the stares of disdain," Draco snarked. "If you think this is bad, you should see how it is when Granger and I are in Diagon Alley together. It's like they're staring at a three headed dog or something."

"I saw a three headed dog once," Harry remarked. "It was much more interesting to look at than your ugly mug, I promise you that."

Draco gave him a look. "You saw a three headed dog?"

"First year at Hogwarts," Harry said, explaining to him about Hagrid's dog Fluffy guarding the door that lead them to the sorcerer's stone.

"Jesus, Potter," Draco said after the story was finished, realizing Hermione's father's influence as he used a muggle colloquialism instead of his usual 'merlin' phrase. "Three headed dogs, chambers filled with snakes, werewolves…I'm quite glad you didn't want to be my friend first year now. That's too much excitement, even for me."

Harry chuckled, leaning back against the bench. "I envy my kids sometimes, you know? Being able to have a normal school year at Hogwarts."

"I hear you there," Draco agreed, watching as the large clock on one of the brick pillars. The train would be arriving at any moment. "I envy my children every day, mainly because they aren't growing up the way I did. I always said if I had children it would be different. I didn't know how I'd do it, of course, but clearly something's working." He scuffed the bottoms of his shoes against the smooth concrete ground. "My father wants to see my children, apparently. He says he's trying to change."

Harry shoved his hands into the pockets of his corduroy coat and shrugged. "Do you think he's changed?"

"I think he's Lucius Malfoy, and he's made a living of saying what he says to get what he wants. I just don't know what he wants."

"Maybe he really does want to try to get to know your kids better?"

Draco shrugged. "Maybe. But it's not like I trust him to be telling the truth."

"Maybe invite him to the birthday party this year?" Harry suggested. "It is at your house this year."

"Granger's parents will be there," Draco said with a sigh. "They know about my father - and I'm not sure Richard could stand to be in the same room with him. As a father myself…I can certainly see why."

"Richard's a pretty reasonable man," Harry said. "If you explain it, I'm sure he will understand."

"That's the thing," he said with a sigh. A loud train whistle echoed and the Hogwarts Express began to pull into the platform. The two of them stood up, Draco buttoning his black pea coat, as it was a bit brisk outside today. "I'm tired of having to explain things on his behalf."

"I can see where that would get a bit old," Harry stated.

The two of them watched as the students began to pile off of the trains in droves. It was always easy to spot the parents of first years, scooping up their eleven year olds like they were five year olds, showering them with love, as they were still not used to shipping their children away for nine months out of the year. Draco remembered that feeling when Anya was a first year just a short time ago. When he picked her up at Christmas time that first year, he could hardly contain his excitement when he saw her and her two long plaits bouncing as he ran towards her.

"_Daddy!" she screeched as he scooped up all eleven years of her, hugging her tight as she was almost too tall for him to pick up anymore. "Daddy I thought you said you had to work!" _

_He kissed her cheek and hugged her again before putting her down. "I worked a little bit today," he said. "But I didn't think I could wait until I got home to see my favorite oldest daughter." _

_Anya rolled her eyes. "I'm your only oldest daughter, Daddy." _

"_Which is why you're my favorite," Draco declared._

_Anya laughed as she moved to hug her mother gently around her waist. Astoria was never one for large public displays. "Hi Mummy," Anya said. "I missed you." _

_Astoria hugged her daughter and kissed the top of her head. "Did you have a nice train ride?" _

"_I did," Anya replied. "I have a bit of transfiguration homework to do over the break. Do you think you could help me with it?" _

"_As long as I'm not too busy," Astoria said. _

_It was the best answer Anya could hope for, and she'd learned over the years to not show her disappointment. "If Mummy's too busy, Daddy will help," Draco promised._

He saw Anya climb out of the train car several yards down, James following behind, handing Anya her messenger bag as he reached the platform. Draco could have sworn Anya looked older, too old for his liking, every time he retrieved her from this platform. Gone were her days of plaits, headbands, and bows. She was getting older, and taller. She was already the same height as her mother and Hermione. He noticed her hair was slightly curled at the ends, a small piece of it pulled away from her face and pinned back out of her eyes. She was damn near a spitting image of Astoria when she was younger, walking towards him in a pair of fitted jeans and a green, long sleeved shirt with thin white horizontal stripes peaking out of her short black trench coat, her belt tied into a knot instead of properly buckled.

Draco noticed James pulling both of their trunks, saying something to Anya that made her face crack with a smirk before bursting out into laughter, covering her mouth with the back of her hand as James continued his story. He watched the two of them, curious as he was under the impression that the two of them weren't close at Hogwarts like they were when they were home.

"Well…that's interesting," Harry noted with a smirk on his face, obviously watching James and Anya like Draco. "Looks like that talk Hermione had with Anya worked."

"Right," Draco said, vaguely remembering Hermione telling him she spoke with Anya about her attitude towards James after they had their school conversation during the holiday break. "Well, I'm glad it worked. James has always been a good friend to Anya, even when she's being…we'll…her less than pleasant self."

Harry laughed. "Well, I'm particularly fond of your daughter, regardless of her mood. You know they went to the dance together."

"Yes," Draco replied, resisting the urge to make a face. He would have preferred his daughter to go to the dance alone, preferably with some of her girl friends. When Hermione told him about James and Anya and the dance at dinner the weekend they went to Hogsmeade, he scowled. _Don't make that face, Daddy_, Claire told him as they ate dinner. _James is a nice boy and he's nice to Anya._

Harry waved over at James, who returned with a grin and a nod as he navigated the trunks and Anya through the crowds towards the two of them. "Hey!" he exclaimed, opening his arms as James gave him a big hug. "Where's Teddy?"

James shrugged as his father let him go. "Probably snogging Victoire somewhere. Professor Nott gave the two of them a good zap last night when he found them in the halls snogging after the dance was over."

"Lovely," Harry replied, unimpressed.

Draco tugged gently at one of Anya's loose curls. "This is new," he said.

She smiled, her cheeks blushing a touch. "Thought I'd change it up a bit. Hermione's going to have to show me how to use a muggle curling iron or something when we're home. I did this with magic. Do you…do you like it?"

He nodded, cupping a hand around her cheek. "You look very pretty. Now come here. I've missed you."

Anya didn't need to be told twice as she quickly wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him tight. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek like she always did. "I missed you more," she said with a grin.

"Doubt it," Draco remarked.

Teddy found them a few moments later, earning a good smack upside the head from Harry. "What the hell!" Teddy exclaimed.

Harry gave him a look before laughing. "Snogging in a hallway after dark. Really?"

Teddy didn't even bother looking embarrassed. "She started it."

"Now that I believe," Harry replied. "Come on - I promised your grandmother I'd take you to her so she can have the weekend with you before you come back for the birthday party for these two."

Teddy looked over at James and Anya and smirked. "That's right - you two share a birthday."

"Duh," Anya said, unimpressed.

"Sharing birthdays…sharing dances…sharing train cabins…you two share a lot with each other now," Teddy teased with a smirk.

"Shut it, Teddy," James warned.

"I kid, I kid!" Teddy laughed. "Come on, Dad - let's go see Grandma."

Harry looked at the three of them curiously for a moment and shrugged. "Ok. James, do you want to come along or do you want to go with Draco and Anya? They're meeting Mum and Hermione at the school to pick up your brother and Claire."

He gave Teddy a glare, as he did nothing to suppress his laugh. "I'll go with Draco," he said, handing over his trunk to Harry. "See you at home."

Draco took Anya's trunk from James and motioned for the two kids to follow him. "Teddy, please give your grandmother my best."

"You know she's going to ask when you plan on coming by for tea," Teddy said with a grin.

"Tell her we can discuss it at the birthday party," Draco replied. "Come on kids - if we're late to Claire's school I will never hear the end of it."

Anya walked into her father's side, letting him wrap an arm around her as James walked next to her. "Well, we certainly can't have that," she said. "I'm surprised she didn't talk you into coming today."

Draco laughed, hugging Anya into his side. "Yes, well, Granger helped out with that one."

Anya rolled her eyes. "She's your girlfriend now, Dad. You can't keep calling her _Granger_."

"It'd be weird if he stopped though," James added. "I don't think I've ever heard you call Aunt Hermione by her first name."

"I've heard him say it once or twice," Anya said with a smirk.

He looked at her and shook his head as his daughter giggled. "Oh, shut it, will you?"

* * *

><p>Ginny, Jean, and Hermione stood in front of Ginny's mini-van. Scorpius and Lily were down the street at the dental practice with Richard, who was closing up early so he would be home in time for dinner. Hermione stood with her arms across her chest, hiding a yawn with her hand.<p>

"Up late?" Ginny teased, nudging her in the arm with her elbow.

"Shut it," Hermione replied as her mother laughed. "I'm just tired. I've submitted about five chapters for revision already."

"Five!" Ginny screeched. "How have you done so many already!"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. I just did. Scorpius plays in the study while I write and revise. Draco didn't think I'd get much work done at home in the beginning, but we have our own little routine and it works." She moved the sleeve on her jacket and glanced at her watch. "The train should be at King's Cross now."

"I can't wait to hear how the dance went," Ginny gushed. "James promised there would be lots of pictures."

"Anya promised as well," Hermione replied with a smile. "She sounds happier in her letters. Makes me worry a little bit less."

Jean wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulders and gave her a hug. "See? I told you she'd be fine."

She smiled at her mother. "I know you did. And I knew she would be. It was just waiting for her to get there is all."

Nodding, Jean released her hold and adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder. "You look different today, Hermione."

"Is that a compliment?" Hermione asked with a laugh.

Jean shook her head and laughed. "Of course it is, darling. I don't know…you just look different, I guess. But a good different."

"Probably because she's having sex with a God," Ginny said with a smirk, earning her a smack on the arm by Hermione. "What! You know it's true!" she exclaimed with a giggle. "Everyone assumed he was good in bed when we were at school," she continued, speaking to Jean. "And judging by the lovely shade of red Hermione's face is turning, the rumors are apparently true."

"He is rather handsome, Hermione," Jean said, giving her daughter's arm a pat. "Even if he is unnaturally pale."

"Could we please stop talking about this?" Hermione pleaded.

"Having a healthy sex life is nothing to be embarrassed about," Jean said. "In fact, your father and I -"

"Hermione!" Anya called out from down the street.

She exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thank God," she said, giving Ginny and her mother a look before walking towards Anya, watching as the ends of her hair bounced as she ran. She opened her arms and Anya launched herself into them, hugging her tight. "You look so pretty!" Hermione said as she held her back at an arm's length. "Did you do this to your hair yourself?"

Anya smiled. "It's nothing much. Just a charm really. You'll have to show me how to do it the muggle way."

Hermione nodded, cupping her hands around her face. She pressed a light kiss to her forehead and let her go. She watched as her mother hugged Anya, gushing over her, as she hadn't seen her since the Christmas break. "James," she grinned, hugging him tight. She let out a little yelp as he lifted her off of the ground. "I swear you've grown since I saw you in Diagon Alley."

"I'm nearly taller than you now," James said, kissing his favorite aunt on the cheek.

"Isn't everyone though?" she said with a feigned sigh. "Now go hug your mother."

As James gave her a mock salute, Hermione rolled her eyes as Draco approached her, his hands in the pockets of his coat. He bent down as she stood up on her tiptoes and gave her a kiss. "You look tired," he said with concern.

"It's alright," Hermione reassured him. "I submitted those five chapters this morning to Hannah. I'm a bit a head of schedule now, which was what I wanted."

Draco nodded, opening his arm up to Hermione as she wrapped an arm around his waist, the two of them walking in tandem towards the kids, her mother, and Ginny. "Hello, Jean," Draco said with a smile.

"Hello, sweetheart," Jean replied with a loving smile. "How's your day been so far?"

"It's only gotten better now that Anya's home for the next week," Draco said as he hugged Hermione close to him.

Nothing made Jean happier than seeing her daughter happy and in love again. She smiled at Draco, then at her daughter who seemed perfectly content to stand at his side as he rubbed a hand up and down her daughter's arm. "Well I know Richard and I are looking forward to everyone being at the house for dinner."

"What is for dinner, anyway?" Anya asked.

Jean grinned. "All of the birthday girl's favorites, of course."

"Sounds delicious!" she said with a grin. She looked over at James, then at Ginny. "Ginny, can James have dinner with us tonight?"

Ginny smiled, looking over at Hermione who was hiding a knowing grin of her own. "I think that's probably more up to Jean than anyone," Ginny replied.

"Of course James can come!" Jean exclaimed before Anya could ask. "James, you know you're always welcome at our house."

"I know, Grandma Jean," James chimed in. He looked over at Anya. "You sure you want me to come?"

Anya nodded. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to come."

"It's sorted then," Draco declared. "Ginny, one of us will floo him home after dinner."

The final bell of the school day rang and students from St. Agnes began to pour out of the front and side entrances. Albus found them first, also getting an entire week off of school so he could spend it with James and Teddy. He ran over to his mum first and gave her a big hug. He dropped his backpack at his feet, gave James a high five, and ran to hug Jean. "Grandma Jean, we're learning all about doctors and dentists next week at school. Will you and Grandpa Richard come and talk to my class? Please?"

Jean laughed, ruffling his mop of a hairdo and nodded. "Of course we will. Just tell us what time and what day."

"Ok. I have it in my backpack," Albus replied. "Aunt Hermione?"

"Yes Albus," Hermione answered.

"It worked," he said with a sigh of relief. "Uncle Ron said the other day that you shouldn't answer when I say Aunt Hermione because you aren't my aunt anymore, and that I have to call Lavender 'Aunt Lavender,' even though I don't like her."

Hermione gave Ginny a look, which she returned as what could only be read as 'I'll deal with _that_ later,' before speaking. "I'll always be your Aunt Hermione."

"Ok," he said, as if that was all the reassurance he needed.

Out of nowhere, a blond, six year old ball of energy zoomed towards them, barreling into Anya. "You're home!" Claire squealed as Anya picked her up to hug her.

"For the whole week!" Anya exclaimed as her sister's legs wrapped around her waist.

Claire hugged her once more before pulling away. "Did you bring pictures from the dance?"

"Tons of them," Anya said.

"And you're going to tell me all about it? Every detail?"

"As if I would leave anything out."

"Because I want to know _everything_."

Anya laughed. "Of course you do." Claire made no intention of letting go of her sister, so Anya shifted her over so that she was sitting more on her hip, and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Claire bear," she whispered in her ear.

Claire grinned. "Love you too, YaYa."

"Mum," Hermione said. "Can you go ahead and take the children with you? Draco and I have a last minute stop we need to make before dinner tonight."

Jean nodded. "Of course. When should we expect you back?"

"We'll be there before dinner," Draco promised. "You girls be good."

"You too," Ginny added, looking at her son. "Come along, Al - Gran says she needs you and Lily to help make treats for the party this weekend so we better go get her." Albus and Lily weren't so much helpers unless it came to licking batter off of spatulas and spoons, but Molly Weasley loved nothing more than having her grandchildren in the kitchen when she was on a baking frenzy.

Draco and Hermione waved as Jean lead Ginny and the children down the street towards the dental clinic. As the group of them rounded the corner, Draco looked down at Hermione and grabbed her hands. "You ready for this?"

A small laugh escaped her lips as she looked down at the ground. "No."

"Hey now," he said, tugging on her hands. "Hey - look at me."

She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "Let's go. If we don't leave now we'll be late."

* * *

><p>Claire sat in the middle of Richard and Jean's living room with photos from the dance spread out all over the coffee table. Richard and Jean were looking at them as well, always infatuated with the moving muggle photos. The little girl could not get enough of everything - the details of the Great Hall, Anya's dress and her hair, James in his dress robes - all of it was a like another fairy tale to her, only it was one she would some day get to experience once she was old enough to go to Hogwarts.<p>

Scorpius stood at the coffee table, pointing out Anya in each picture as he picked it up to show Jean, then Richard. "That's YaYa!" he would say with each photo, pointing with one hand as he gripped the picture with the other.

"Careful," Jean said each time. "You don't want to wrinkle the picture.

"Ok," he replied, carefully putting it back down on the tabletop. "YaYa pretty."

Anya grinned at her brother. "Why thank you, Scorp."

"You do look very beautiful," Jean said, admiring one of the photos. "Of course, it goes without saying how handsome you are in your suit, James."

Richard watched as Anya and James sat next to each other, not touching but they would be if they were any closer. He also noticed the pictures of the two of them dancing, and for a pair of thirteen almost fourteen year olds, and he could see something different. It was subtle, but it was different never the less. "Am I correct in assuming that James was a upstanding and respectable gentlemen at this dance?" he asked.

Anya nodded, smiling a little. "He was Grandpa. I promise."

Jean gave her husband a swat in the arm. "Of course he was, Richard! You know James would never be anything _but_ upstanding and respectable."

Richard ignored the swat on his arm and looked at James, who didn't blink as he looked right back. "Just making sure. After all, we did say we didn't want just anyone taking Anya to the dance. Looks like we got our wish."

James smirked as Anya blushed. "Are we done embarrassing me?" Anya asked. "It is my birthday weekend after all."

"Right you are," Jean said, standing up. "And we have some baking to do before dinner. Who's helping?"

"Me!" Claire, Scorpius, and James chimed together.

"Really?" Anya asked, giving James a look.

James shrugged. "As long as I get to lick a beater, you know I'm game."

Anya stood up from the couch and held her hands out to James, who took them as she helped pull him up. "Well since I don't think I should have to do anything on my birthday, I'm going to hang out with Grandpa."

Jean took her baking crew into the kitchen and Richard stood up from his chair and walked over to the couch, sitting down in James' once occupied spot. Anya plopped back down next to him and laid her head on his chest, curling her legs up underneath her as Richard's arm wrapped around her. He kissed her forehead and felt her smile as she sighed. "Remember when we used to watch cartoons like this?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Those were some pretty great Saturday mornings. Grandma would make pancakes…and bacon. Maybe I should tell her I want that tomorrow for breakfast."

"Plan on spending the night?"

"I am if that's what breakfast will be in the morning," Anya said with a laugh. Yawning, she quickly covered it with her hand as she snuggled closer. "Sorry. We were up late last night."

Richard nodded, propping his feat up on the coffee table, though mindful to do it without his shoes on. "Well I had a long day at the office today. It feels good to be home though, doesn't it?"

She nodded. "It does."

Both of them managed to doze off minutes later, neither one of them shifting an inch when a large afghan was spread out across the two of them while they snoozed.

* * *

><p>"Please don't sit there and act like everything is fine," Hermione said, her voice quiet but even.<p>

Draco looked at Hermione before his eyes darted around the room. He'd never been to a muggle physician's office, and he was quite intrigued by their need to put such graphic and descriptive posters on the wall. "Hermione," he said.

"I mean it," Hermione replied. "I know this isn't what you wanted. I don't even think I wanted it really. Not anymore, and here we are, barely a couple for not even six months and we're pregnant like a bunch of reckless fools."

Draco laughed, slouched down in a chair while Hermione's sock clad feet hung off of the exam table as she still donned a paper exam gown - something else Draco found completely odd. "I mean, we did shag right up against the wall. We could have had a child walk in on us."

Hermione wiped a thumb underneath her eye. "If you're saying that to make me feel better, it's not working."

He shrugged. "Just agreeing with you…that the sex was completely reckless."

She shook her head. "It's my fault. I should have gone back on a potion the moment you and I started this…thing. I shouldn't have relied on remembering to use a charm."

"I didn't remember either, Granger," Draco said, completely calm. "I knew you used a charm too, and I didn't remember. I was too busy trying to convince someone that I wanted them."

Her head snapped up, her eyes wet. "Right. After a gigantic row was started over the fact that you wanted me to be with someone that I could have children with. You said you already had three children, indicating that you had no plans to have a fourth! You were practically melting down over the thought of having more children!"

She was right. He was terrified of the thought that he could have more children. But when he found Hermione throwing up her dinner from the night before three days ago, just as she'd done the two previous days, he knew it wasn't the flu. "Look," he said, standing up from his chair and walking towards her until he was standing between her legs at the exam table. "I was a mental case six weeks ago. I blame it on the lack of sleep," he half joked.

Hermione sniffled, looking everywhere but at his face. "What are the children going to think?" she asked in a teary whisper.

"Well you already have Claire's vote of approval, so long as it's a girl," Draco teased. "We only have to worry about Anya."

"She's finally happy," Hermione cried. "You can tell in her letters she's just in a better mood, which I'm sure James has a lot to do with and if she's not happy about this, or at the very least isn't able to fake it then it's just going to set her back and I don't want that, Draco. I don't want her to hate me."

He held Hermione in his arms as she quietly cried into his chest, her tears soaking through his white shirt. "Anya could never hate you," he whispered in her ear. He kissed her temple and rubbed soothing circles against her back. "Come on, Hermione. Please stop crying. You're stressing out over nothing, and I know for a fact that pregnant women shouldn't stress about things."

She shook her head as she pulled away, wiping her eyes again with the pad of her thumb. "I know," she said, sniffling once more.

He tucked a brown curl of hers back behind her ear. "I know you're worried about what people will think," he said softly. "And you're right. We haven't been an intimate sort of 'us' for very long. But we've been an 'us' for years now, wouldn't you agree?"

Hermione nodded, looking up into his grey eyes. "I guess when you put it that way, it doesn't sound nearly as bad."

Draco laughed. "And all that matters right now is what you and I think. Nobody else. Right?"

She nodded again.

"So Granger," he said with his telltale smirk. "How do you feel about being knocked up with my child?"

Hermione laughed a little, shaking her head as she sighed. "You always have a way with words, don't you?"

"I do."

"Then tell me why you aren't freaking out right now," she asked. "What made you change your mind?"

He leaned in and gave her a soft, lingering kiss. "I've had a few days to mull it over," he said, briefly pulling away before kissing her again. "And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I'd be crazy not to have a baby with the Brightest Witch of our Age." This was true, as he had been thinking about Hermione having a baby the moment she showed him the muggle pregnancy test she took two days ago. Whatever fear he had six weeks ago had somehow disappeared. When he thought about Hermione having a baby, it took everything he had not to grin like a bloody fool.

Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved him away as the doctor knocked on the door before entering. "Just a prescription for the nausea and a list of vitamins you may wish to start taking now to help the development of your baby," he said, a man who looked younger than the two of them were. "The nurse out front will set up an appointment schedule for you to follow if you choose to continue your care here, and if you don't have any other questions, you can get dressed and be on your way."

"Thank you," Hermione said, smiling at the doctor as Draco took the prescription and the printed orders. "We appreciate you fitting us into your schedule so late in the day."

"Not a problem," the doctor replied. "It was a pleasure meeting you both, and I hope to see you back in a few weeks."

The doctor made a quick exit and Hermione hopped off of the exam table with Draco's help and began to put her clothing on, using her wand to make herself feel clean again as she was convinced the doctor could have used a little less lubricant on that ultrasound wand. Hermione also thought Draco was going to hex the doctor when he saw where the ultrasound wand was going, but a quick look from him halted his actions. She zipped up her jeans and pulled her tank top on over her head. Draco handed Hermione her thin knit sweater over her head and held her coat open for her to put on. Draco buttoned her buttons three fourths of the way up and gave her a kiss. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she softly replied. "But I don't want to tell anyone yet."

"Not even your parents?" he questioned.

She shook her head no. "I don't want to tell them until Anya returns to school. This is her week. Her birthday is Sunday, and I don't want to distract from that. I'll just cast a charm that keeps me from smelling anything at Mum's house, and that should keep me from getting sick."

Draco nodded and opened the exam room door, allowing Hermione to leave as he followed. They collected their notes from the doctor and Hermione politely told them that she would call back to make arrangements for future appointments. As they walked outside, Draco offered Hermione his arm and she willingly took it as they walked down the street. "I parked my car at my parents' practice," she said. "I figure we can drive over from there."

"I need to learn how to drive," he said, shoving his free hand into his pocket.

"I think the entire city of London will be safer if you _don't_ learn how to drive," Hermione mused.

He noticed her eyes were still damp, and handed her his handkerchief from his pocket. "Your lack of faith in my abilities would me, Granger."

"More like my concern that you'll fail the driving exam and then you confunding your way into getting a license," Hermione replied, leaning her head against his upper arm as they walked together.

They reached her car, a black Volvo station wagon after a short walk, passing Claire's school once more before rounding the corner to the Grangers' dental practice. Reaching the car, Hermione dug her keys out of her purse and unlocked the doors. He watched her wipe her eyes again with his now damp handkerchief. Placing his hand against the door, he prevented Hermione from opening it as he forced her to look at him. "Hey," he said gently. "Why are you crying? Did we already establish this as a good thing?"

She nodded, sniffling as she looked up at him. Smiling, she gave his chest a loving pat and sighed. "I'm having a baby, Draco. Me. I'm having a baby. Finally."

"So these are happy tears then," he said with a laugh.

"Yes," she said, as two more tears trailed down her cheeks. "They are happy tears."

Draco pulled Hermione close and kissed her soundly. "Good," he said as they broke apart. "Because _we're_ having a baby."


	24. Chapter 24

Jean Granger wasn't an idiot. Her husband maybe oblivious to most things, but Jean had an eye for everything. She found it peculiar after dinner on Friday night when Hermione drank water instead of coffee like she usually did when the adults chatted amongst themselves. She also found it odd that Hermione didn't once eat a bite of queso, as dinner was very much a Mexican fiesta, just as Anya requested in her letter. Hermione loved queso - she was the one that introduced it to Anya.

Draco was also helpful - more helpful than he usually was in Jean's opinion. He refilled her water, carried her plate to the table, and his manner towards her was…different. Of course, their intimate relationship was more open as the two of them became more comfortable appearing as a couple in front of her and her husband, as well as the kids, but this was different. It was the knowing looks the two exchanged every so often, as if they two of them had a secret that no one else knew.

It was the way he looked at her like she was going to break when she scooped Scorpius up and blew a raspberry on his belly that startled Jean's nerves a bit, and the glare her daughter shot back, as if to say _you're drawing attention to yourself!_

It was the way she caught them in the hallway that Jean realized she had nothing to be afraid of as her fear turned to excitement. Unseen by both, she couldn't stop herself from watching - her daughter's back to the wall as she looked up at him, her eyes seeking, almost pleading for reassurance as his hand moving to her lower abdomen, caressing it gently while his other hand reached for her face, pulling her into the sweetest kiss. Her arms reached up around his neck as she held onto him, smiling as he pulled away, blushing slightly at something he whispered into her ear.

She wouldn't tell her daughter she was on to her secret. Jean would wait until Hermione came to her and confessed her secret. And Jean wouldn't say anything about the timing, or the fact that they weren't married, because none of it mattered anymore. Her daughter was happy - truly happy - and her own mother's intuition was telling her it would work out in the end. Draco wasn't Ron, and he wasn't the rude little boy from school anymore. He was a man, who despite his flaws, loved her daughter for everything that she was, and never wanted her to be anything less.

* * *

><p>Sunday morning came, and Claire was the first one up. Climbing out of bed, she yawned as she scuffled her feet over to her closet, rooting through toys and clothes until she found a wrapped lump of a package. Hermione let her wrap it herself, and said that her use of muggle tape and ribbon would most certainly thwart anyone who tried to sneak a peek. Claire wasn't sure what thwart meant, but she assumed it was a good thing. After all, Hermione would have helped her if it was bad.<p>

She quickly scurried across the hall, creeping into Anya's room. Tossing the present onto the end of the bed, she crawled over the foot board of her sister's bed before dragging the gift with her as she wiggled her way up to the pillows, not even attempting to be subtle about any of it - even as she snugged herself under Anya's covers.

"What…are you doing, Claire?" Anya mumbled, not even opening her eyes.

"How do you know it's me?" Claire whispered.

Anya sighed, eyes still closed. "Because you're the only one I know that moves about in bed like a fish searching for water."

Claire poked her sister in the arm, waiting to speak until Anya's eyes opened. She reached for her sister's present and placed it between them. "I wanted you to open my present first," she said with a sparkle in her eye.

"It isn't even eight o'clock yet," Anya said with a sigh, heaving her covers off of her as she sat upright.

"But it's your birthday!" Claire exclaimed. "Why would you want to waste it on sleeping!"

"Because I'm tired," Anya stated, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Grabbing the present, she noticed the tape that wrapped all around the present with little rhyme or reason, curled ribbon peeking out of the places it wasn't trapped between the tape and paper. After a bit of examination, she found a place where she could start to tear and actually get into whatever this squishy thing was. She pulled bits and pieces of the paper away until she was able to pull the plastic bag of things out - the plastic bag obviously Hermione's doing. Knowing Claire, she probably insisted she wrap the present her way and Hermione humored her, while saving whatever it was she wrapped. Opening the plastic bag, Anya pulled out three brand new leotards - black, navy, and pink - a couple of sheer wrap skirts, and a brand new set of point shoes. "Wow," she said, noticing the subtle sparkles her leotards had around the neck and the ends of the sleeves. "Claire these are _beautiful_. Where did you find them?"

She was practically giddy at the sound of her sister's awed voice. "Hermione and I found them in Muggle London! She let me pick them out and I wanted to get you one with sparkles _everywhere_ but Hermione thought that if there was too much sparkle, it would distract people from your dancing."

Anya laughed through a yawn as she looked at her shoes, excited at the thought of breaking them in and stitching the satin ribbons in place. "Claire, this is quite possibly the best gift ever," she said. "Really."

"Hermione told me you might be gone all summer," Claire said, her voice a bit softer. "That you got into the big girl group at the ballet school and that it's super important for you."

"Claire…I know I promised I'd be home but -"

"It's ok," she reassured Anya. "Hermione said we'll visit on your free days, and that you're going to get to be in a big recital at the end of the summer. I bet you're going to be the star, you know."

Anya laughed, reaching for her sister to pull her close. Falling back down into bed together, Anya brushed Claire's crazy fly-aways away from her eyes and kissed her forehead. "I don't know. There's going to be older girls there that are probably better. I'll be happy to dance in the chorus…this year, but I think I'm probably just going to stay in my age group."

Claire shook her head. "You'll get to be the star. I just know it."

"Oh yeah, and how do you 'know it'?" Anya teased.

"Because I had a dream about it," Claire stated, as if the answer was completely obvious.

"Oh. Ok," Anya said, humoring her sister. She watched Claire pick up a piece of her hair, a little bit of it still curled from yesterday, when Hermione showed her how to use both curlers and a curling iron. "What?" she asked as Claire dropped the piece of hair with a sigh.

Claire shrugged. "You look like Mummy with your hair curled."

"James said the same thing."

"Is James your boyfriend?"

"Oh Claire…"

"Is he? Is he! I bet he is!" Claire giggled. "Does he hug you? Does he kiss you on the lips?"

Anya reached for a pillow and pretended to smother her sister for a moment before releasing. "You're ridiculous."

"You haven't answered my question," Claire said with a knowing smirk. "Does he hold your hand? Do you let him hold your hand? I wish I had a boyfriend."

"You aren't old enough to have a boyfriend," Anya said with a look. "And yes. He's my boyfriend. Yes, he holds my hand. But we don't kiss. At least…not yet."

Claire grinned. "You should let him kiss you."

"Kissing is gross."

"Kissing is super romantical."

* * *

><p>"Kissing <em>is<em> gross. I can't believe she has a boyfriend and you didn't tell me!"

Hermione couldn't stop the laugh coming out of her mouth if she tried. Holding Scorpius, who was 'helping' as she turned the bacon in the skillet, Hermione put down the tongs and looked at Draco, who was acting as if he'd seen a horrific sight. "You kiss me all the time."

Draco scowled. "Obviously that's different."

"Obviously you shouldn't be worried about it," Hermione lightly chastised. "So Anya has a boyfriend. You should be lucky that it's James, and you should be lucky your fourteen year old daughter isn't into kissing yet. Merlin knows what you were doing at fourteen."

Snorting, Draco grabbed the plates out of the cabinet and went to set the table. "You have no idea what I was doing at fourteen."

"Oh sweetheart, you know you don't believe that," Hermione said with a laugh. "The whole school knew what you were doing."

"Excuse me?"

"Pansy Parkinson has a big mouth," Hermione said sweetly, putting Scorpius down so she could pull the finished pieces of bacon out of the skillet at onto the plate with the rest of them. "As does your sister-in-law."

Draco put his hands on his hips and gave Hermione a stare. "You realize half of what they said was utter lies, right?"

"Which means the rest of it was the truth?" she asked him with a laugh. "Draco, you know I'm just giving you a hard time."

He frowned, yanking a handful of forks and butter knives out of the silverware drawer. "I thought they were just going to the dance as friends," he mumbled. As he set the last fork and knife down at the last plate, he felt slender arms slip around his waist from behind and hug him, a kiss pressed to his back through the thin black t-shirt he wore with his pajama pants. "She's not little anymore," he said with a sigh, his hands braced on Hermione's arms as he felt her kiss the same spot in the middle of his back again.

"She's growing up," Hermione said. "But she's a good girl with a good head on her shoulders. You know Claire chases the boys with her lips at recess. She's the one you need to be worrying about."

Draco turned around in her arms, looking unimpressed as Hermione bit back a giggle. Sighing, knowing she was right, he shook his head. "I'm going to have to build a dungeon for that one. She might be the death of me."

"Don't I know it," Hermione agreed. She looked over at Scorpius, who was driving his fire truck on the ground around them, making siren noises with his mouth. "Scorp - go wake up your sisters, and make sure you tell YaYa happy birthday!"

The little boy jumped up from his knees, taking the fire truck with him. "Hap Birday! Hap Birday to YaYa!"

"Very good!" Hermione cheered, watching as he scampered off towards the stairs. She smiled as Draco ran his hands in slow circles on her back. "He's getting better with his words, don't you think?"

Draco nodded. "It's probably because he's around you all day, and you never shut up."

"Hey!" she exclaimed, smacking him in the arm. "That was rude!"

"Truth hurts," he mumbled, stealing a kiss. "Good thing I find it endearing now, don't you think?"

She gave him a look, suppressing a smirk as she slightly shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Do I get to offer suggestions?" he asked with a wink.

"Not today," she said with a tone.

"Take pity on me," he mocked. "I'm feeling old today."

She shook her head as he let go of her. Grabbing the plate of pancakes, she moved them to the table and summoned the butter and syrup from their respective places in the kitchen. "You're hardly old, Draco. You have a fourteen year old daughter. I'm having my first child at thirty-two, which means I'll be forty-six when he or she is fourteen. If anyone's feeling old, it's me."

He grabbed glasses from the cabinet and summoned the milk and juice from the fridge. "Does that really bother you?" he asked with complete sincerity. "Because it shouldn't, you know."

Hermione turned around to face him, smiling as she shrugged. "It doesn't…much anyway. I always thought I'd be a young parent, but now…none of it really matters. My dad always said everything happens for a reason…and I used to think he was silly, really, and that it was a foolish saying - an empty phrase to make people feel better. But now…I feel like maybe he was right. Maybe everything does happen for a reason."

Draco grinned. "I've always believed your father to be a smart man."

"You sure that wasn't just you sucking up?"

He had the decency to blush. "Maybe just a bit."

* * *

><p>The house was filled with Potters, Weasleys, Malfoys, and Grangers after lunch. The elves happily helped hang the streamers and balloons while the grandparents played with the grandchildren as the parents, aunts, and uncles visited with one another. Hermione was quick to notice James sticking rather close to her, offering to help with anything as long as it didn't have to be done in whatever room Draco was in.<p>

"Where's your Gryffindor courage?" she teased, needling him in the side with her elbow.

He looked at her with disbelief. "You act like your boyfriend is Mr. Friendly! He's been giving me looks ever since I arrived."

"Oh his bark is far worse than his bite," she reassured him. "Besides - he'll eventually get over it. Did you tell your parents?"

He gave her a quick nod, opening the oven door so she could slide in a loaded cupcake pan. "They just told me to be smart…whatever that means. But they like Anya, so I mean, it wasn't like I was expecting them to go mental about it."

Hermione laughed as James snapped the oven door shut. "Draco will get over it eventually. Anya's his first daughter…and when it comes to fathers and daughters…well…let's just say that when Lily is old enough to have a boyfriend, you'll see your father with a much different demeanor." She ruffled his hair and went to pull some fruit dip she made that morning out of the fridge. "She told me in one of her letters that you encouraged her to do the senior level ballet training she got into. That was very mature of you, you know. Telling her to spend her entire summer away."

James shrugged off Hermione's compliment. "She's really good at it, and I know dancing makes her happy. She told me you got her into the junior level though, so she'll have some of her summer left to spend at home."

"It was her choice in the end," Hermione said, removing the plastic wrap from the dip. "But I think it meant a lot to her that you were supportive of her choosing the senior group, even though she decided to stay in age group. You've been a really good friend to her, James." She braced her hands on his shoulders and looked at him. "And I promise that no one is more grateful for how wonderful you've been with Anya than her father and I." Suddenly, she grimaced, biting her lips together as the smell of the sweet toffee candy dip decided it did not agree with her sense of smell. "Oh God!" she cried, spinning on her heel, barely making it to the sink before her breakfast came up.

"Aunt Hermione!" James yelped before rushing to her side, pulling her hair back away from her face. He held her hair in one hand and turned the on the faucet with the other, rinsing her sick down the drain as she continued to vomit. "Bloody hell - are you all right?"

She braced a hand on the sink's edge, catching her breath as she nodded quickly. The squeaking door hinge of the kitchen door alerted Hermione that someone else was in the kitchen. "Hermione!" she heard Harry's voice exclaim. "James - go get Draco -"

"James don't you dare move," Hermione warned before throwing up once more. After a few minutes, she felt like she was done, standing upright as James let go of her hair. Harry walked over and handed her an empty glass, which she filled with the running water. She quickly swished her mouth out and took her wand from her pocket to disinfect the sink. "Sorry about that," she said with an embarrassed smile to James.

He shrugged. "I'm getting really good at holding hair back. Just ask Anya."

"Nice, James," Harry chuckled.

"You sure you don't want Draco?"

She nodded. "Please don't say anything to him, or anyone alright?" Hermione asked. "I've just been under the weather but I didn't want to cancel the party. You tell Draco and he'll practically banish me upstairs," she said with a laugh.

James looked at her for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"I'm fine," Hermione said with a big, rather forced smile. "Promise. Now go out there and have some fun, you big chicken!"

Rolling his eyes, James sighed. "Oh all right."

"He's not going to do anything to you," Hermione teased. "He knows you're my favorite."

"Thank God," James muttered as he trudged his way out of the kitchen, pushing the swinging kitchen door open to join the rest of those gathered for the party.

Hermione pulled the hair elastic from her wrist and pulled her hair up into a chic messy bun. "Harry, can you please take that fruit dip there and put it back in the fridge for me? I've decided to pull it out later."

"Sure," Harry said with a shrug, wrapping it back up and watching as Hermione seemed to hold her breath as he passed near her with it, sliding it back into the fridge. "You sure you're alright?"

"Certain."

"Because you look a little green still."

"I'm sure it will pass."

"Hermione."

"Harry."

The two best friends stared at each other, Hermione with her arms hugging her chest, Harry with a hand holding onto the refrigerator door. Hermione's face was defiant, Harry's was curious as he studied her, the two of them silently communicating with one another, Hermione realizing Harry knew what was wrong by the smirk that began to tug at the corners of his lips.

"Don't. Say. Anything."

Harry wiggled his eyebrows. "Really?"

"It was completely irresponsible and entirely unplanned…and we aren't telling anyone for a bit," she spoke quietly.

He nodded. "Can I say that I'm happy for you?"

Hermione smiled. "Yes."

"Can I hug you."

"Certainly."

In a split second Harry had Hermione wrapped up in his embrace, smiling as he heard her laugh. His chin rested on her shoulder as she laid her head on his shoulder for a moment. She wrapped her arms around his neck, giggling as he gave her a final squeeze before letting go. "This is brilliant," he said, still grinning. "So brilliant."

She nervously laughed. "I don't know about brilliant…but we're ok."

The kitchen door swung open again, both of their heads turning to find Ron standing in the kitchen. "What's going on in here?" he asked.

Hermione took one look at him and whipped her wand out of her pocket, sending a stinging hex right at his shoulder.

"What the bloody hell did I do!" he yelped, rubbing his offended shoulder.

"That's for telling Albus not to call me 'Aunt' Hermione," she spat, pocketing her wand. "Just because you left me doesn't me he stops being family."

"Especially when you know that Hermione is practically my sister," Harry added, giving Ron a disappointed stare.

His shoulders dropped and Ron had the decency to look somewhat sheepish. "Lav's been on me about the kids not being all that warm to her," he explained, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he shrugged. "She didn't even come today because she says she didn't want to deal with everyone fawning over Hermione and ignoring her. She's also a bit big though…I reckon it isn't comfortable moving around when there's two babies in you." He looked up at Harry before speaking again. "They're my niece and nephews too," he stated. "It wouldn't kill you and my bloody sister to tell them to treat her like family."

"It's not my fault James and Albus are old enough now to understand how Lavender became a part of the family," Harry plainly replied. "And my children have never been impolite to her."

"No, but they bloody fawn all over Hermione and they hug her like she's covered in spattergroit!" Ron groused.

"And that will never change!" Harry exclaimed. "They love her because she loves them back and they know it! She isn't fake to them and doesn't try to buy their love like your wife does. And if you ever tell one of my children that Hermione isn't their aunt anymore, you better believe you ought to fear me a lot more than your sister."

His faced blanched. "Ginny knows about this?"

"You and I both know that's an incredibly stupid question," Harry stated with a look.

Ron sighed. "Yeah. You're right."

* * *

><p>Draco sat with Richard in the living room, away from the chaos of the Weasley family mingling with Jean. Draco and Richard both had a beer in hand, watching from a far as Jean smiled and exchanged words with Molly Weasley and Astoria's mother while Lloyd and Arthur spoke about various things happening at the Ministry.<p>

"You know…maybe we should start splitting the birthdays up," Draco mused aloud.

Richard laughed. "Because Anya and James are dating?"

"They can't go anywhere without an adult. I'd hardly call it dating," Draco scoffed. "But aside from that fact, I don't think I realized how uncomfortable it could be for you and Jean…with the Weasel and his family present."

It was Richard's turn to make an unfavorable noise. "Jean and I have managed to stay on good terms with Molly and Arthur, and Ginny of course because of Harry and the children. You want to know why I married my wife?"

Draco looked over at Richard and took a drink.

"Because she's a better person than me," Richard said. "She'll tell you I'm the fun one, and that much is true. Jean was the disciplinarian in our house while I was the fun parent. But you'd never be able to tell if Jean held a grudge against you. She could hate you more than life itself but if she ever found herself in front of you - there'd be no way to tell. Me, on the other hand, well, if I don't like you, it's pretty easy to tell."

Chuckling, Draco took another drink and leaned back against the couch. "Your daughter does that. Has that unreadable face. It's a bit irritating sometimes."

"You get used to it after a while," Richard promised. "I rather like that you and Harry and Ginny are able to do the children's birthdays together, despite my ex son-in-law's appearance."

"Why's that?"

"Because I think it's a decent reminder of how far you all have come." Richard pointed with his beer bottle over at the crowd of party guests in the adjoining dining room. Anya and James sat at the table, Anya whispering in James' ear as Scorpius sat on her lap, eating a sucker. Suddenly, Lily and Claire's squeals and giggles echoed in the halls as they ran down the stairs, past Richard and Draco, and into the dining room around the adults as Albus chased the girls. "You can't say you would have imagined this back in school, or even when your daughter was born."

Richard had a point. Draco remembered that day in the hospital, walking into the baby nursery and waiting patiently while the nurse wrapped up Anya in her pink swaddling blanket and gently placed her into his arms. As he held her, tempted to hold his breath for fear of breaking this tiny bundle that was staring back at him, he saw Harry walk into the nursery, wearing the same nervous face he had while the same nurse did swaddled up Harry's son in a blue blanket and gently handed him over. Alone, both of the stared at each other for a moment.

"_Terrifying, isn't it?" Harry asked with a nervous laugh._

_Draco gave him a nod. "Absolutely." _

"_Considering everything we've been through…seems a bit silly, being terrified of something so small," Harry said a few moments later. _

"_Probably," Draco replied quietly._

"_But I'm still terrified."_

"_Most definitely." _

The doorbell rang, barely audible over all of the noise in the house. Draco stayed in his seat, knowing an elf would come for him if it was someone that didn't know what a house elf was. "She's starting to look like a grown up," he said with a sigh.

Richard laughed, clapping a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I remember the day I realized Hermione wasn't a little girl anymore."

"Yeah?" Draco asked. "What did you do?"

"I started refurbishing old cars, and kept the fridge in the garage stocked with beer," Richard replied with a smirk. "But let me tell you this, which I know from experience. Daughters never stop needing their fathers. Even when they decide to betray everything you've instilled in them by dating boys, getting married…they always need you. They don't grow out of it."

Draco nodded, chewing his cheek as he could feel a little bit of that comment directed towards him. "I love her," he promised Richard.

"I know you do," Richard replied. "And I believe you're good for my daughter."

"Merlin knows she brings out the best in me," Draco said before finishing off his beer. Harby appeared before him out of nowhere, his fumbling his fingers as he wrung his hands nervously. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Master's father is at the door. With Miss Greengrass," Harby nervously rattled.

"Of course we're here," Lucius drawled as Draco snapped his head up, his father along with a smug looking Daphne. "It is, after all, my granddaughter's birthday. And I did get an invitation."

Draco stood up from the sofa, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You've been getting an invitation every year. You haven't been to one since Mum died."

Lucius scowled. "Well, as you've yet to answer any of my owls, I felt that a face to face appearance was in order."

Draco looked over at Richard, who was staring at his father quite disconcertingly. "Richard," he said. "Will you excuse us for a moment?"

"You sure?" Richard asked, standing up from the couch.

"Yes," Draco replied. "I'm sure. Daphne, will you excuse us as well?"

"No," she bluntly replied. "Your father has asked that I stay with him today, and I see no reason to leave his side."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Is my father your new conquest? Now that you've realized I'm unavailable to you?"

Daphne giggled. "Oh Draco, you're still available. You just aren't seeing things clearly."

"That doesn't mean much coming from you," Draco snarked. "And Father - I know what you want. I know what you're request is, and unfortunately, I do not see me allowing my children to spend time with you alone. If you want to come here, fine, but you have to be respectful to me, the children, and most importantly, Hermione. If you can't do that, well, you can leave."

"Is everything all right in here?" Draco, Daphne, and Lucius all turned, finding Harry and Arthur standing in the living room, each of them casually holding their wands at their side. "Draco?" Harry asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. It's fine."

"You sure?" Arthur asked.

"The birthday cake is ready!" everyone heard Hermione shout as she walked into the dining room from the kitchen, carrying a large half chocolate, half vanilla birthday cake covered in buttercream icing and sprinkles on Claire's suggestion. She placed it on the table and looked up past the adults in the room, seeing Lucius and Daphne standing with Draco over Harry and Arthur's shoulder. "Oh…we have more guests, I see."

"You look different," Daphne stated, glaring at Hermione.

"I don't know what you're referring to," Hermione quickly replied. She made her way through the adults, scooping up Scorpius along the way as he reached his arms out to her. "Mister Malfoy, it's nice of you to join us for Anya's and James' birthday," she said politely to Draco's father, who returned her sincerity with a look of disdain. Anya and James followed Hermione, while Albus stood with Claire and Lily in the corner where they could see, standing protectively in front of them. "But if you are here to cause trouble please leave. This is a happy day, and we don't want any distractions."

Daphne gasped, slapping her hands onto her hips. "How dare you speak to me in that way? You think you can just play house with my sister's kids and speak to me like you're better than me!"

"That's not what I was doing," Hermione calmly replied.

"And even if she wasn't," Draco added. "She should. Because she is better than you, Daphne. She loves those children like they're her own. You pretend to love your sister's children in hopes that it will somehow get me to love you - which, I might add, will _never_ happen."

"Daphne," Helena said, standing in the back. "This nonsense needs to stop now. Please."

"Just because you and father have given up, doesn't mean I have!" Daphne hissed. "Of course, this would have been easier if Draco would have just let his father see his children more. Then I could have been there to bond with them and show Draco that I _am _the better suited match for him - better than my sister and _certainly_ better than _you_ - you filthy _mudblood_."

"That's a bad word!" Claire and Lily both chimed at the same time.

Daphne whipped her wand out and pointed it at Hermione, just as Harry and Arthur pointed their wands at both her and Lucius. "Daphne," Draco said in a low, dark voice. "Put. The wand. Down."

"Daphne!" Lloyd's voice boomed. "Enough of this. This has gone too far! You're being foolish now!"

"Anya," Hermione said quietly. "Please come get your brother and take him out of here."

"You're mental if you think I'm leaving -"

"Anya," Hermione interrupted, her eyes not leaving the end of Daphne's wand. "This isn't a suggestion."

Draco didn't have his wand on him. He didn't think he'd need it today, and had gotten into the habit of leaving it in the bedroom, where Hermione left hers as she often did things the muggle way. Today was an exception for Hermione though, as she was using her wandless magic freely to help get things ready this morning. He could see her wand in the pocket of her pants, but she made no move to reach for it. Anya reluctantly went over to reach for Scorpius, who shook his head no and hugged Hermione's neck tighter.

"Come on, Scorp," Anya said.

"No!" he shouted. "I stay with Mum! I stay!"

"What did he just say!" Daphne shrieked, her wand hand shaking with rage. "Did he just call her _mum_! Mother! Father! How are you even standing for this! How dare my sister's child call refer to this _filth_ as his mother!"

Draco took a step towards Hermione, then another as Daphne continued to shake her wand threatening at her. Standing next to her, he pulled Scorpius out of her arms and handed him to Anya, whose eyes were wide with fear. "It's ok," he said, looking at Anya.

"It is not ok!" Daphne shrieked. "Everything is not ok!"

"I think I'm going to be sick," Hermione muttered.

Draco put an instinctive hand on her stomach which didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room. She grabbed his hand tightly looked at him. "Nothing is going to happen to you," he whispered quietly as his other hand moved slowly to where her wand was. "I promise."

Lucius rolled his eyes, obviously bored that nothing was going according to plan. "You idiot! You impregnated that mudblood! You defiled our family bloodline!" he shouted, shoving Daphne to the side and snatched her wand from her hand and threw a harsh crucio in her direction. With a quick wave, Ginny threw up a powerful protego with her wand as Harry threw a sharp stupefy, sending Lucius across the room as Arthur sent a stinging hex for good measure. Daphne scrambled for her wand that Lucius dropped.

"Pertrificus Totalus!" James shouted, his wand casting a full body bind curse at Daphne as she froze in place.

Draco pulled Hermione's wand from her pocket and marched over to his father, still on the ground now lying in the foyer. Standing over him, he pointed the wand directly between his eyes and growled. "I will kill you," he said menacingly. "I swear on my children's lives that I will kill you and I will never lose an ounce of sleep over it, you worthless, foul, demeaning piece of -"

"Draco," Hermione said quietly from behind. "Draco, please don't. You're better than this. You aren't him."

"He deserves it!" Draco shouted. "He wants you _dead_, Hermione! Don't you get it! This is just a stupid bloody game to him."

"Draco," Lucius gasped.

"Shut your mouth!" Draco shouted. "No one asked you to speak! No one wants to hear what you have to say!"

"Malfoy," Harry's voice spoke, just as calm as Hermione's. "Come on. You've got big things ahead of you. Don't throw it away for someone who isn't worth it."

"Sweetheart," Hermione pleaded.

"Please listen to Hermione, Dad," Anya added as she held Scorpius on her hip. Jean and Richard stood behind them as Richard held Claire.

"Daddy please," his youngest daughter whimpered.

Sighing, Draco looked down at his father's terrified face and lowered the dainty piece of vinewood he held in his hand. Just as his father looked to be breathing a sigh of relief, Draco raised his left foot stomped down hardly on his father's face. "There. Now I'm done," he said. Turning around, he looked at Harry and handed Hermione back her wand. "Call the aurors. Get these two out of my house."

"I already sent a patronus," Ron piped in from the back, holding Lily in his arms. "They should be here any minute."

"Ah - Weasel. Nice to see you're good for something," Draco snarked as Lucius groaned on the floor in pain.

* * *

><p>"This really wasn't how everyone was supposed to find out," Hermione groaned once the party was over and the excitement had died down.<p>

She stood in the kitchen, her face buried in her father's chest as he gave her a reassuring hug, kissing the top of her head in a way that only fathers could do. "Don't give Draco too hard of a time," Richard said to her. "He did what any father would have done."

She sighed as her father tightened his hug on her. "You're not angry?"

"Angry?" he asked, confused. "Sweetheart, my baby is having a baby - what could be more wonderful than that?"

Hermione looked up at him and blushed. "Because everything is happening so fast…because we aren't married…"

"Hermione, you know I don't care about any of that traditional rubbish," her father said. "All I care about is that you are happy. Are you happy?"

She nodded. "Yes, Daddy, I'm very happy."

"Well then, that's all that matters, now isn't it? Now come along - let's go join the others."

Richard clapped his hands on her shoulders and pushed her towards the living room, where everyone was gathered eating seconds and thirds of birthday cake, the little kids winding down from their sugar high. Molly and Arthur went home once the presents were opened, taking Albus and Lily with them as the rest of the Weasley grandkids were planning on spending the night at the Burrow.

Jean had Scorpius on her lap, helping him shovel cake into his mouth without making a gigantic mess while Claire was perched on Draco's lap, having been quite attached to him since the incident with Lucius. Draco was horrified at how he was unable to control his anger in front of his own children, and selfishly took solace in the fact that despite his own actions, his children seemed to be ok. Claire snuggled against him and hugged her small arms around his midsection. James and Anya sat together in the oversized recliner, eating cake as they told the adults about Declan getting hexed all the way to the hospital wing for trying to snog his date at the dance. Harry and Ginny laughed as they sat on the same couch as Jean, Ginny helping catch the crumbs Jean couldn't as Scorpius was determined to use the big plastic fork himself.

"There she is," Harry exclaimed as Richard steered her in their direction. He made room for Richard to sit down by moving to the floor, sitting in between Ginny's legs as Hermione sat down next to Draco. She fiddled with her hands, staring down at them as she began to pick at her nails.

Draco grabbed her arm and slid her close to him, Claire shifting from his lap to hers. "Hermione," she said, putting her small hands on Hermione's cheeks. "I'm sorry Grandfather called you that bad name two times."

She pulled Claire's hands from her cheeks and kissed them. "Thank you," she said.

Claire gave Hermione a big hug which Hermione returned, leaning back into the couch and kissing her cheek as Claire's legs straddled her lap, her head resting on Hermione's shoulder. Rubbing her back, she closed her eyes and sighed contentedly as the little girl made no plans to move. "Can we go shopping this week?" Claire asked as everyone laughed.

"I'm sure we can manage something," Hermione replied, looking over at Anya, biting her lip nervously until Anya gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry your birthday party was such a disaster."

"Disaster?" James questioned. "I got to use magic outside of school, we both got loads of presents -"

"James got to eat nine pieces of cake," Anya teased. "And I'm getting a new brother or sister. As far as birthday's go, I'm not really sure how you'll top it next year."

"Maybe one of your crazy relatives can escape from Azkaban and we can do this all over again," Draco drawled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Wait a minute," Claire announced, bolting upright. She looked over at Anya incredulously. "What do you mean we're getting another brother or sister?"

"Hermione's pregnant," Anya stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Didn't you hear Grandfather shouting at Dad about it?"

"I'm not quite sure Claire knew what impregnate meant," Jean said, beaming as any grandmother would.

Claire's eyes were wide with excitement as she clapped her hands together. "So I'm really going to get a baby?" she asked.

"It looks that way," Hermione said with a nervous laugh. "Are you ok with that?"

Claire looked over at her sister. "Are you ok with that?" she repeated, wanting Anya's response first.

Anya scratched her arm and felt James nudge her with his knee. "I can't say I won't melt down about it later."

"Anya," Draco warned. "Does I look like I'm in the mood?"

She lightly laughed at her father's distress. "Yes Claire," she said. "I'm happy for Hermione and Dad…and all of us."

Claire squealed as she lunged over to Draco, her knees causing him to groan as they nailed him in the stomach. "I'm getting a baby!" she exclaimed. "And you said I wasn't going to get one and you were wro-ong, Daddy!"

"Damn it, Claire," he groaned, moving her legs as he winced. "Your bony body is going to kill me."

"I'm not bony," Claire said as she settled back down on his lap. "I hope it's a girl. Hermione? Can you make it a girl?"

"It is what it is, sweetheart," Hermione replied with a smile. "We'll find out this summer if it's a boy or a girl."

Ginny squeezed her husband's shoulders as she looked at her best friend. "I cannot wait to go baby shopping with you!" she gushed. "I'm just so excited and happy and - oh! We'll have to plan a baby shower, Jean!"

"Yes!" Jean exclaimed. "We'll definitely have to have a baby shower!"

Hermione held her hands up to quell the excitement. "Guys - honestly - let's not get carried away," she begged. "I mean, we already have everything we really need considering this house has seen three babies already -"

"But Hermione…" Ginny said. "It's your first baby…you deserve all of the first baby things like a shower where everyone can fawn over you!"

Harry agreed. "Ginny's right, Hermione. You deserve all of that and more. Don't you think so, Malfoy?"

Draco looked over at Hermione, watching as she ducked her head slightly, embarrassed by all of the attention. "I think that Granger should get to do what all new expecting mother's get to do. She can have whatever she wants."

She looked up at him and bit her lip. "Are you sure? You don't think it's excessive?"

He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers before bringing her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles lightly. "I'm sure with Ginny and your mother leading the charge, you'll have the latest in both muggle and magical baby items alike that you won't know what to do with yourself."

Hermione blushed as Jean and Ginny began incessantly talking about everything they could start planning between now and when the baby would arrive.

* * *

><p>Anya was reading a book in bed later that night to Claire, who was snuggled up against her as she listened to the story of <em>The Princess and the Frog<em>. Turning the page, she looked down at her sister, her red eyelids fighting the urge to sleep, and smiled. "Are you tired yet?"

"Nope," she replied, hiding her yawn with her forearm.

"Because you look tired."

"I'm _so_ not tired."

A knock on the door had both of their heads turning, finding Hermione at the door. "You girls should be getting to sleep soon," she said with a smile.

Claire waved her into her sister's room. "Do you want to listen to the story too?" Claire asked.

Anya pulled the blankets down on the side of the bed that was empty. "Join us," she said.

Hermione complied, crawling into bed with the girls. Claire crawled across her sister and Hermione so that Hermione was sandwiched between them. Anya handed Hermione the book and rested her head on Hermione's shoulder. Before Hermione got ready to pick up where Anya left off, Claire interrupted her. "Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Are you sure there's a baby in you?" she asked. "Because Mummy had a big belly when Scorpius was in there."

"Well…" Hermione said. "Your Mummy and Daddy probably told you about Scorpius when she started showing, which was my plan as well, but obviously that didn't…work."

Claire studied Hermione's stomach. "But you're sure it's in there?"

Tabbing the page, Hermione closed the book and placed it over on the nightstand. Slouching down in bed, she pulled up her tank top enough to reveal her stomach and took Claire's hand, moving it to the small hardened pit in her lower abdomen. "Do you feel that?" she asked, pressing Claire's fingers gently into her belly.

She nodded, pressing her fingers gently. "I do!"

"That's where the baby is," Hermione explained. "It's not very big right now, but he or she will be…eventually. After all, it takes nine months for a baby to grow inside a mummy's tummy."

"Anya, feel it!" Claire exclaimed, still pushing her fingers around, trying to figure out where Hermione's baby was and where it wasn't.

Anya did as her sister asked, and Hermione showed her where to press. "That's weird," Anya whispered.

"I agree," Hermione said with a laugh. "It's very weird."

"Do you have morning sickness?" Anya asked.

"As a matter of fact I do - though it seems to be all hours of the day. James actually held my hair back today while I got sick in the sink."

Anya laughed. "He's handy like that."

"He certainly is," Hermione agreed. She looked up at Anya and brushed her long black locks back behind her ear. "We didn't plan this," she said quietly. "It was a complete accident and if you're upset about it you can be. Your father and I are still…you know, dealing with the fact that this is actually happening."

Anya sighed with a smile. "Hermione…you worry too much. Doesn't she, Claire?"

Claire nodded. "You do worry lots, Hermione. But it's ok. I just hope it's a girl so I have someone to play dress up with."

Hermione and Anya laughed as Claire reached over to hug them both. "I love you both so much," Hermione whispered fiercely, kissing each of them on the forehead. "All three of you - I cannot tell you how much you mean to me."

"Will you love us as much as you love the new baby?" Claire asked.

"I will love all of you equally," Hermione promised. "No one gets loved more or less in this house."

Draco came upon his eldest daughter's room, a bathed and pajama clad Scorpius sitting on his shoulders when he found Hermione hugging both of his daughters as the three of them lay in bed. "How did we get left out of this?" he asked, feigning hurt as all three girls looked at him and laughed. "Come on, Scorp," he said. "Let's get you to bed while the women-folk in here do their yucky girly things."

Scorpius laughed. "Bye YaYa! Bye Care! Bye Mum!"

"Bye Scorp!" Hermione, Anya, and Claire chimed together as they laughed.

It was late at night by the time Draco and Hermione found themselves in bed. As the day wound down, the stress from the day settled in Hermione's head. Draco brought her two aspirin and a glass of water before crawling into bed. He moved close to Hermione, pulling the blankets down and her shirt up so that his hand covered her abdomen as he rested his head right underneath her chest. Hermione raked her fingers through his hair lazily, her eyes closed as she willed her headache to drop down to a dull roar.

"I'm so sorry about today," Draco confessed. "I'm sorry I gave away our secret…I'm sorry you saw me so angry. I never wanted you to see me like that."

She felt his warm lips brush against her lower stomach and sighed. "It's over now," she said. "I don't think your father or Daphne is going to bother us for a long time."

He kissed her stomach again. "It doesn't matter. Once Daphne pulled her wand on you I just…"

"It's ok," she whispered, feeling his body tense against hers. "It all worked out in the end."

He looked up at her. "Did it?"

"We're still here, aren't we?" she asked with a laugh.

"Your parents seemed happy for you…for us."

Hermione nodded. "They are."

"And they don't care that you're not married? Or that we've managed to pretty much do everything out of the ordinary?"

She shrugged. "My parents know you love me, and that I love you. At the end of the day, that's really all that matters, don't you think?"

Draco nodded, shifting himself so that half of his body trapped hers to the bed, wrapping a protective hold around her as he buried his face into the crook of her neck, his lips leaving featherweight kisses against her skin. "You know I love you, right?" he mumbled against her neck.

Hermione nodded, her eyes welling with tears as she tried in vain to blink them away.

"Are you sure you don't want to get married before the baby comes?" he asked her, referencing their late night discussion after the doctor's appointment.

She looked at him, brushing his hair away from his face as his lips found hers. "I meant what I said," Hermione whispered, kissing him again. "We've rushed everything else…let's just exist for a while."

"Ok," he said, nuzzling her nose against hers. "We can just exist."

* * *

><p><strong><strong><em>Hopefully you enjoy this chapter...expect a signficant time jump when we return as this story winds down...<em>****


	25. Chapter 25

_**You want to know how much work I got done today? None. Why? Because I was writing this quaint little filler to take us to the time jump. **_

_**Two updates in one day? You're welcome.**_

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><p><em><strong>Ten Years &amp; One Month Later…<strong>_

James walked out of the shower wearing nothing but a towel hanging low on his hips, sauntering into the bedroom he and Anya had been sharing since the day after graduation at Hogwarts. The downtown condo they lived in looked very much different from when Hermione lived here, the walls painted dark, rich colors with white trim in each room. The carpets had been replaced with hardwood floors at Anya's request, which was great in the summertime and in the winter too – as long as she kept a pair of slippers nearby.

He saw Anya awake in bed, propped up by her pillows with one bare leg out from under the covers, gently resting on another pile of pillows with a gigantic bag of ice wrapped around it as she flipped through a magazine. "Well?" he asked, toweling his head dry. "How does it feel to be officially retired at twenty four?"

She laughed, not even looking up at him as she flipped the pages. She had been a professional principle ballerina with the London Ballet Company the moment she finished Hogwarts, but with a reoccurring knee injury, Anya decided that enough was enough, and danced her final performance tonight in front of a packed theater. "Ask me in a few days when I'm on the brink of going stir-crazy."

"But just think of all the things you can eat," James said with a grin. "Now that your diet isn't dictated by those crazy ballet people."

Anya grinned. "This is true. Maybe I'll just spend a week letting Molly and Grandma Jean feed me. Maybe I could gain some weight and actually grow some breasts."

"Well," James said as he shimmied himself into a pair of clean boxers. "If you want to grow larger breasts, just know that you've got my full support."

She kicked her good leg towards him, despite it being under the covers. "Wanker."

He laughed at her, tossing the covers back and crawling into bed. Following his father's footsteps, James became an auror, and was quickly becoming of the department's best recruits. No longer gangly, his toned and muscled physique had not gone unnoticed by his family and friends, mostly the older male adults who booed at him in good fun during the summer time when he took his shirt off while swimming at the Granger's backyard pool. His strong arms snaked around Anya's petite ballerina frame, his chin resting on her shoulder as she placed a chaste kiss to his forehead.

"I really am going to need something to do," she said with a sigh, discarding her magazine on the end table. She looked over at him, pushing his damp hair away from his eyes. "Maybe go to university or something."

James made a face. "Not that I don't think you're brilliant – because you are – but why go to school now? You don't necessarily need a job…it isn't like we're ever going to need money. Even without your ballet contract…we'll be more than fine on my auror salary. Besides – they did say if you ever wished to go back and teach classes they would take you in a heartbeat."

Anya sighed; knowing everything James was saying was true. "I reckon as long as I'm always smarter than you we'll be alright."

James leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. "You'll always be smarter than me." She kissed him back, mindful of her iced knee as James moved to straddle her one leg, his forearms braced against the bed to keep most of his weight off of her. "And if you really wanted something to do, Mrs. Potter," he mumbled as his lips moved to her cheek, then down her jaw. "We could just have a baby."

"That would mean telling our parents…that we got married…" she said, moaning slightly as his mouth lightly sucked against her neck. "And when we do…they're going to kill us."

"Not if you're pregnant," James mumbled, peeling down her thin black bandeau bra before placing a mouth on her nipple. "It's the…perfect plan."

Hands shoved into James' shoulder, stopping him from moving to her other breast. He looked up and saw Anya staring at him, her eyes serious as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. "You've never mentioned children before."

He shrugged. "I was in auror training…and you were dancing," he thoughtfully replied. "Children didn't make sense before. I mean…you do want children…right?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed, nodding quickly as if to remove any sort of doubt from her husband's mind. "Of course I want children – your children, James." She brushed her hands against his face, freshly shaven that morning, and smiled. "You really want to do this?"

James laughed. "You said you were going to need something to do…and my schedule has become more regular now that I'm not a trainee anymore. I know we can do this, YaYa," he said the last part in a husky whisper, his face inching closer to hers. "You and me."

"And a baby," Anya said quietly, a grin tugging at her lips.

He looked over his shoulder at her iced knee and back at her. "Are you done with that?" he asked. She quickly nodded, draping an arm across her now bare chest as James sat back on his knees, carefully unwrapping the ice from Anya's knee. "It looks like the swelling is going down," James said, dropping the bag of ice to the carpet along with the wrap as he gently examined the beet red area of her leg."

"It'll finally have a chance to heal properly now that I won't be jumping up and down on it all the time," Anya mused, peeling her bandeau up over her head in one swift motion. "Just don't expect any sort of acrobatics this evening, Mr. Potter." She went to peel off her thong, pushing it down just far enough for James to remove the rest of the way.

James kissed her injured knee before shedding his boxers. Grabbing them along with Anya's undergarments, he tossed them by the wayside and grinned as he made his way up her legs with kisses. "I have no problem doing all the work tonight," he said earnestly, his hands splayed against her bony hips, burying his face between her thighs.

Anya closed her eyes tightly and moaned loudly, as this was a skill James had been good at from the beginning. Her hands fondling her small breasts, nubs as Claire called them; she remembered their first time, a few months into their final year of Hogwarts in the heads dormitory. She and James had been named Head Girl and Boy, much to the general delight of their families, and had been lectured by both sets of parents in regards to their newfound privacy.

"_I think this is a violation of the rules," Anya said with a smirk as she and James stood in the middle of his room, James unbuttoning her shirt as she peeled away his cardigan. _

_James kissed her neck as his hands finished the last button. "I think waking up to your hands down my pants this morning was also a blatant…violation of the rules."_

_She craned her neck as far as she could; giving him better access as she blindly unbuckled his belt. "Yet you enjoyed it."_

"_Of course I bloody did," James mumbled, pulling her shirt away and letting it drop to the floor. "Who wouldn't?"_

"Oh my God!" Anya moaned as James' tongue went to work, a tightening sensation building in her lower body as she clenched her breasts. "James…oh my god, James…"

He had her right where he wanted her, feeling her hips buck against his hold as he gave one last teasing suck against her wet folds. James was hard and ready, the idea of making love with the intent on creating a child becoming a bigger turn on than he anticipated. He made his way up her body, no longer needing to help himself find his way. His erection slipped into her without missing a beat, growing harder than before as she clenched herself around him.

"_We're really going to do this?" James asked one final time, hovering over his naked girlfriend as the glow of the fireplace casted shadows in all the right places. _

_She nodded, looking a little bit nervous. "Just don't go too fast," she said. "It isn't…going to feel all that great for me the first time."_

_James nodded, understanding what she was saying. His dad mentioned something like that during the sex talk he got over the summer, which embarrassed them both to no end. He grabbed himself, the covers of his bed draped over his back as he tried to guide himself into her._

"_Ow! What in the hell are you doing!" she yelped, smacking his shoulder._

"_What!" he exclaimed. "I wasn't even pushing hard!"_

"_Except you weren't pushing it anywhere you're supposed to!" Anya exclaimed. Smacking his hand away from his teenage erection, she gently grabbed him and slid him up and down her wet sex before pushing him down to her entrance, carefully guiding him in. "Now be gentle," she instructed, her voice changing, as she looked him directly in the eye._

"_Gentle," James nervous repeated, feeling himself slip inside her, little by little. He closed his eyes tight, silently thanking Teddy's advice to 'take care of himself' before this moment so that he'd last longer than a minute. He felt himself pushing against her thin barrier, opening his eyes to find her biting her lips together. "Anya we can stop –"_

"_No just do it," she whispered. "It's ok."_

"_You sure?"_

_She nodded quickly. He crashed his lips to hers, pushing into her the rest of the way, muffling her cries as he kissed them away. _

Anya was certain there wasn't a part of her body from her knees up that hadn't been kissed by James as he kept a steady rhythm, rocking in and out of her, mindful of her knee as his hands moved up and down her sides. His lips had taken up residence on her chest, kissing and suckling each nipple, eliciting moans of pleasure from Anya's mouth as her fingers vigorously kneaded the muscles in his back. As much as she was enjoying the sensual, compassionate side of James - as she often did – her body was screaming for release.

"James," she managed to gasp mid groan, his teeth lightly pulling at a nipple. "James I need you."

He looked up at her, brushing her sweaty hair away from her face. "I've got you."

She smiled as her hips bucked against him with a bit more vigor. "No James – I _need_ you…harder."

James smirked, leaning in, pressing a hard kiss to her lips as he grabbed her hips. Pulling away, he lifted her hips up and leaned back on his knees, quickening his pace as he pulled himself in and out of her, her hips bucking fiercely with the added pressure and faster pace. It only took a few minutes before both of them were nearing their limit. James pushed and pulled her harder onto him as he watched her drag a finger down to her clit, hammering away at it as she called out his name. He groaned as he felt her release, her body going limp as he pumped into her two, three more times before overwhelming himself with his orgasm – pressing himself into her hard as he felt himself cum in waves.

He collapsed on top of her, leaning his body weight to the arm he had on the bed next to her so that she could still breathe. She wrapped a leg up around his waist and hugged her arms around his sweaty neck, her mouth leaving warm, soft kisses against his shoulder. He kissed her cheek and nuzzled her ear. "You were beautiful tonight, by the way," he whispered in her ear. "Stunningly beautiful."

She smiled, her hand cupping his defined jaw as he looked at her. "You might have mentioned that," she softly replied.

"You sure you won't miss it?" James asked.

Anya nodded. "I'm ready for something new."

"Because I certainly won't miss the different men I see touching you during those performances."

"Despite the fact that half of them would rather be touching _you_," Anya mused with a roll of her eyes.

James hugged Anya closer, still inside of her, and kissed the tip of her nose. "Doesn't matter. You're mine…and I don't want to share anymore.

"That seems fair," Anya agreed, the back of her hand caressing his face. "So…we're serious about this baby thing, right? Because we have about ten minutes until casting a contraception charm becomes pointless."

He kissed her softly, pulling at her bottom lip ever so slightly. "Let's start a family," he said as he pulled away, looking into her eyes as his forehead rested against hers.

"This means we're going to have to tell them we got married," Anya said with a mischievous laugh.

James shrugged. "I don't care. That day three years ago…was about you and me - just like we wanted it."

"Just like we wanted it," Anya repeated, before her lips found her beloveds again. "Happy Anniversary, love."

"Happy Anniversary too you too."


	26. Chapter 26

_**A super duper long chapter - catching us up to speed as we truck on through the final few chapters! It might go a few past 30. I haven't mapped it that far out yet, but I know where it's ending lol!  
><strong>_

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><p><em><strong>Two Months Later…<strong>_

Hermione set a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs in front of sixteen-year-old Claire, shaking her head at her exhausted yawn. "Thank Merlin it's Saturday," she said, picking up a piece of bacon and taking a bite. "You should have seen the things Grandpa made me do at the dental clinic this week." She wanted to earn extra spending money this summer, so when her Grandpa Richard offered to let her work in the office, she thought she'd be sitting around answering phones. Instead she was stocking cabinets and running errands. Grandpa kept telling her it built character. Claire was considering asking for a raise.

"What, like actual work?" twelve year old Scorpius said with a laugh.

Claire rolled her eyes and threw a napkin at her brother. "Shut it, Scorp."

Hermione shot the two a look as Draco came down the stairs. Four year old Katie, named Katherine Elizabeth – using both of her older sister's middle names – hitched a ride on Draco's back, giggling as their ten year old, Leo, animatedly explained to his father all the reasons as to why he should get a dragon for his upcoming birthday.

"Give it up, Leo," Scorpius said with a laugh. "If I didn't get a dragon you sure aren't getting one."

"Your brother has a point," Hermione stated. "Besides – you're going to Hogwarts soon. If you want a pet, why not get one you can take with you?"

Leo's shoulder's dropped dejectedly. He was a spitting image of Scorpius, the only difference was that he had his mother's eyes. "But a dragon sounds so much cooler."

Draco put Katie down on the kitchen island counter top and ruffled his son's hair. "Albus already promised you and Scorpius a week with in Romania at the dragon reserve before school starts. That's going to have to be enough for you until you're old enough to get one on your own."

"And not living in this house," Hermione added for good measure. She fixed a plate up for the two younger kids and handed them to Draco to take to the table, which had been replaced with a bigger one when they learned of Hermione's pregnancy with Katie. She was content with one, as Leo was perfect to her, but Katie was a much welcomed, albeit accident, addition to their family. She was a carbon copy of Hermione, to which Draco joked that had he not been there at her conception, he'd question if she were his. Luckily for Draco, his daughter did inherit a menacing Malfoy glare when things weren't going her way – confirming that she was indeed half Malfoy.

Not that he ever had a doubt, of course.

She plucked her daughter's chin as she leaned in, nuzzling her nose with hers. "How's my girl this morning?" Hermione asked.

"Super excited!" Katie exclaimed. "Cause YaYa is coming today, and Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, and James and Lily and Albus and Teddy…"

"Merlin," Draco gasped, looking at his youngest as he picked her up from the counter top. "That's a lot of people coming over today. Why do you suppose that is, Mummy?"

Hermione played along, her eyes wide as she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, Daddy. Claire? Do you know why everyone's coming over today?"

Claire laughed, shrugging her shoulders and crossing her arms against her chest. "I mean, it's just a regular day," she suggested. "Nothing out of the ordinary around here."

"Yep," Scorpius chimed in with a mouthful. "Nothing special."

"Nothing at all," Leo agreed.

Katie, appalled by everyone in the room, threw her little arms up in the air in complete exasperation and stared at everyone. "Yes huh!" she cried. "It's my birthday! I'm four today!"

Draco hoisted his mini-Hermione up into the air, shaking her as she giggled. "What!" he exclaimed. "That's not possible! There's no way she's four! Four! I don't believe it!"

"Daddy!" Katie squealed, squirming in his strong hold as she reached for her mother. Hermione gladly took her, fluffing the mess of a curly brown ponytail she slept in and gave her a hug. "I'm really four today! It's my birthday - July 7th! It says so on the calendar!"

"Are you _sure_ you're four?" Draco quizzed. "Because you don't look tall enough to be four. Anya and Claire were much taller when they turned four."

"Yes Daddy! I'm four!"

"And how do you know you're four?"

Katie gave him a look, eerily reminiscent of her mother when Draco said something ridiculous. "Because it comes after three. One – two – three – four. See Daddy? I'm four. Cause I was three yesterday, and today I'm four."

Draco dropped his shoulders and sighed. "Alright," he confessed. "I guess I _have_ to believe you with that sort of logic."

Hermione put Katie down in her chair and kissed her head. "It's not logic, Daddy," Katie explained. "It's math."

Hermione stifled a laugh at her precocious daughter while her siblings openly laughed, looking at Draco as she summoned his plate from the counter. "Good thing she's the last one," she teased, handing him his plate.

He leaned in and kissed Hermione, their sons mockingly gagging at the open display of affection. "I'm not sure I could survive another one," he mumbled as he pulled away. "They're too smart – all of them. But she's definitely the worst."

Laughing, Hermione kissed him again and sat down at her chair in between Claire and Leo. She took a bite of her toast and gave her birthday girl a wink as Katie took a bite of her cheesy birthday eggs. "You know Claire," Hermione said in between bites. "If you do all of the small stuff well at Grandpa's office, he may let you start assisting him. But you have to be willing to show Grandpa that you can handle the silly nonsense work before Grandpa lets you do the important work."

Claire sighed, nodding in agreement as she chomped another bite of bacon. "That's what Grandma said. It's just boring, is all."

"Keep plucking along," Hermione encouraged. "Your hard work will pay off – I promise."

"Grandma said that too," Claire replied.

"Maybe Grandma and Grandpa can get me a dragon!" Leo exclaimed out of nowhere, as if he'd found a solution to this problem. After all, they'd managed to get him everything else he ever asked for.

Scorpius looked at his brother as if he had two heads. "Where on _earth_ do you think two _muggle_ dentists are going to find a _real_ dragon? Have you gone mental?"

He dropped his shoulders in defeat once again. "Blast," he scowled under his breath.

Draco gave him a light smack upside the head. "Language," he warned.

"Sorry Dad," Leo said with another sigh. "I just really want a dragon."

Katie reached over and gave her brother a pat on the shoulder. "It'll be ok, Leo. We'll find you the _bestest_ pet. I just know it."

"Thanks Katie," Leo said with a smile.

"You're welcome," she replied with a grin. "Daddy?"

"Yes sweetheart," he replied.

"When is YaYa getting here?"

Hermione pointed over to the clock on the wall with her fork. "They'll be here at ten thirty. Which means the little hand will be on the ten -"

"And the big hand will be on the six!" Katie exclaimed. The big hand was currently on the eleven, and the little hand was almost on the ten. "It's getting close!" she cried with glee.

Claire shook her head at her sister, arching an eyebrow at her father. "I couldn't tell time until I was six, and even then it was sketchy."

Draco nodded in Hermione's direction as he swallowed his eggs. "Don't look at me - that is _all_ Hermione."

* * *

><p>Anya stood in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection as she donned a summery, cream-colored dress that flared out short of her knee. Paired with a set of brown sandals, Anya pulled a wide brown belt from her closet, wrapping it around her waist, noticing she could no longer pull it to the last notch, but the second to last notch.<p>

"Oh my God! I'm getting fat!" she exclaimed, looking at herself in the mirror once more with a look of horror.

James looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "No - you just look normal for once."

"Normal?" she questioned, her voice pitched high as she glared at him through the mirror "What in the bloody hell does that mean?"

"I don't know, healthy I guess?" James suggested, shoving his feet into his leather flip-flops as he tucked his polo shirt into his khaki shorts. "You look beautiful, Anya. Truly," he promised, standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders as he stood a little more than a half a foot taller than her.

She leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging them against her chest as she braced her hands against them. Her engagement ring and wedding band donned her left hand, two definite sparklers that Anya only wore when in the privacy of their own home. James had worn his ring around his neck and under his clothes from the day they were married, but today the thick platinum band rested squarely on his left ring finger, their names and wedding date engraved on the inside, just as it was on the inside of her thin, diamond embedded wedding band.

"You're sure I don't look fat?" she questioned.

"You could gain fifty more stones and still not be fat," he teased. "You're not a twiggy ballerina anymore, Anya. Besides - you heard what the doctor said."

Anya turned around in his embrace, looping her long arms gracefully around his neck as his arms relocated to around her waist. They'd been seeing a muggle ob-gyn to keep a low, or rather nonexistent profile in the wizarding world since they found themselves with a positive muggle pregnancy test and charm a month ago. "He told me to get fat is what he said."

"He said to gain weight so the baby - and you - stay healthy," James corrected her with a laugh. "He didn't tell you to get fat. I was there with you, after all. I know what he said - and you are completely misinterpreting it."

Sighing, Anya tilted her head back, her long black curls swaying slightly. "All of my ballet friends, when they got pregnant they were all baby - you couldn't even tell they were pregnant from behind. It was all in their bellies."

"And I'm sure you'll be the same," James replied, pressing a kiss to her lips. "The envy of women everywhere, the most beautiful and sexy pregnant woman to grace the planet."

"Oh, I'm already the envy of all women," she said quite confidently, standing up on her toes. "Even the ones that don't realize it."

"Is that so?" he asked. "And why is that?"

She grinned from ear to ear and stood up on her toes. "Because I married you, silly."

He pushed her close and picked her up off the ground, laughing as he spun her around once. His lips caught hers as he gently placed her back down on the ground. "Sounds like a perfectly good reason to me."

"Good," she said with a laugh. The time caught her eye as the digital clocked ticked over to 10:25. "Oh shit - we've got to go," she said, snapping her fingers as her purse floated towards her. "Katie is probably watching the clock and if we're late we'll never hear the end of it now that Hermione's taught her how to bloody tell time."

James grabbed his wallet from the dresser and tossed a concealment charm over his ring before doing the same to Anya's hand. They'd reveal that piece of news later tonight, after the party was over. "She's four, Anya. I hardly doubt she's an expert at it."

"She's half Hermione," Anya countered. "She can already read and do grade one level math. She's a freak of nature, and is bound to be smarter than all of us by the time she's finished her first year at Hogwarts."

* * *

><p>Katie sat on the couch in the living room, staring at the fireplace as she watched the second hand tick away on the small clock sitting on the end table. Already in her blue paisley print summer dress that Grandma Jean made, her hair now pulled back into two pigtails with bright blue bows, her curls styled with a charm her mother cast moments ago.<p>

The second hand ticked over the thirty-six second mark when the sound of the flu ignited, with James and Anya stepped through the green flames, hand in hand. James managed to cast a quick cleaning spell around the two of them before Katie reached them, launching herself at Anya first. "You're here!" she exclaimed, giving her oldest sister a big hug and a kiss. "You only had twenty four seconds left until it was 10:31, and then you would have been late."

James took the birthday girl from his wife's arms and gave her a big kiss on each cheek. "Well thank goodness we managed to get here with seconds to spare!"

"I know!" Katie exclaimed, quite serious as she was oblivious to James' humoring tone. "Did you bring my present?"

Anya laughed, tugging one of her curls. "I gave Mummy your present weeks ago just so I wouldn't forget it. It's the big pink one with the silver bow."

"What's in it?" Katie asked, her brown eyes sparkling as she beamed. "Can I have a hint?"

"It's heavy," James replied. "I know because I was the one that lugged it over here. I had to use most of my muscles just to pick it up, let alone carry it, you know."

Her eyes went wide. "Whoa," she said, looking impressed. "It was _that_ heavy?"

"The heaviest present I've ever carried," James answered with equal seriousness. He gave her a final kiss and plopped her gently back on the ground. "Where's your mum and dad?"

"In the kitchen," she said. "I'm going to go play now. I just wanted to make sure you got here on time."

She scampered off, Anya assuming she was headed for outside to convince one of the older kids to push her on the swing her Dad hung out in the tree back when Anya was Katie's age. James grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze as they made their way to the kitchen, where they found Draco reading the paper at the island while Hermione iced a chocolate sheet cake with chocolate icing.

Anya caught Hermione's eye first and put her finger to her lips, her father too engrossed in his paper to hear the kitchen door swing. She snaked her arms around his neck from behind and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Hi Dad!" she chirped, laughing as he jumped a little from the stool he was perched up.

He shook his head at his daughter, grinning as he moved so that he could properly hug his eldest. "Hello darling," he said, standing up as he took in her appearance. "You look really good, sweetheart. Retirement clearly agrees with you."

James laughed as he walked around the island to give Hermione a hug. "See," he said to Anya. "I told you that you looked amazing."

"It's because all I do is eat," Anya said with a laugh. "The doctor said I was a tad underweight at my last appointment, so I figured I'd take his advice and pretty much eat whatever James is eating. There's been a lot of pizza in our house now that I think of it."

"You were at the doctor?" Draco questioned, looking concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am," Anya quickly replied, realizing her slip of the tongue. "It's a muggle doctor, you know, the knee doctor I was recommended to see when I was with LBT. It was just a follow up for that." That wasn't a lie, as she had gone to the knee doctor a few days before her ob-gyn appointment, who told her as he determined her knee to be healing properly that she could also stand to put on some weight. "Of course, now that everyone is telling me I was apparently looking like I was missed meal away from an eating disorder, I'm starting to wonder why you all let me do it for so long."

Hermione returned James' hug and gave Anya a warm smile. "You were thin, and if you had been excessively thin your father and I would have done something. But now you're not dancing and your father is right - you do look really, really good."

Anya blushed at the attention. "Yes well, I thought I'd put on my best for the birthday celebration. Katie informed me that I had twenty four seconds left before being tardy. Why did you teach her to tell time again?"

"Because she asked," Hermione replied with a laugh. "She just wants to know how everything works and she wants to understand everything."

"Gee, wonder where she gets that," James teased, jumping as Hermione gave him a playful swat with a kitchen towel. "I mean, it's practically unheard of in this house…seeking knowledge for no reason."

"James Sirius Potter," Hermione said, waving a finger at him. "Don't you think for a second that I'm above giving you a good smack."

"I don't know you remember, but I live with Anya Malfoy, and that girl beats me on a regular basis," James teased as he gave his wife a wink. "So I'm pretty sure I can take whatever you got."

"Don't tempt her, Son," Draco said with a snort. "Because her bark isn't nearly as bad as her bite."

* * *

><p>Anya found Claire upstairs in her room, no longer a princess palace as it once was but redecorated to fit her still girly-girl personality, with pinks and other pastels accenting the walls of the teenage room, unlike the dark blues and greens of Anya's old room. She watched as Claire glossed her lips carefully, eyeing herself in the mirror as she rubbed them together, just as their mother used to do. Anya noticed the strapless pink dress her sister was wearing with it's fitted sweetheart top and flared shirt.<p>

"That's quite a dress for a four year old birthday party," Anya remarked, taking a seat on her sister's bed.

Claire sat up, smiling at her sister as she fixed her breasts in her dress. "Albus is coming, you know. His first time back from Romania since Christmas."

Anya crossed one leg over the other and stared at her sister, cocking her head to the side so she could see Claire's reflection. "You know he's still dating Grace, right?"

She rolled her eyes at the sound of Grace Longbottom's name. She was in Albus' year at Hogwarts, and followed him to Romania where she worked for their Ministry of Magic while he worked with his Uncle Charlie at the dragon reserve. "Yes. I'm aware he's still dating that awful cow."

Despite liking Grace a fair bit, Anya still had to stifle a laugh at her sister's remarks, as she wasn't about to encourage Claire's infatuation with her brother-in-law…not that anyone knew he was her brother-in-law, not even Albus himself, but that wasn't the point. "Claire, have you ever thought about dating someone more appropriate to your age?" she asked. "Surely there are some handsome blokes at Hogwarts."

Claire scoffed. "I don't want to date a boy, Anya. I want to date a man."

"You're sixteen," Anya reiterated. "You have no need to date an older boy, and they certainly have no need to date a Hogwarts student. You still have two years left for heavens sake! You're smarter than this, Claire. You know you are!"

"Says the girl who's had the same boyfriend since she was thirteen," Claire flippantly replied. She spun around on her vanity stool and faced her sister, crossing her arms against her chest, possessing breasts that Anya would never have, not even at nine months pregnant. If Anya were to ever get implants, she would bring her sister in and tell the doctor that her sister had what she wanted. They were perfectly sized and went with every outfit. "Don't you ever wonder what you're missing?" she asked her sister with a refreshing sense of honesty. "I mean, there's never been anyone else."

Clasping her hands against her crossed knee, Anya shrugged and smiled. "There's never needed to be anyone else. I love him, and he loves me."

"But you've never even _experienced_ anyone else!" Claire exclaimed. "How can you possibly know he's it?"

"I can't explain it, Claire," Anya said. "I just know it. I think a part of me has always known it."

"Well, I want it," her sister stated. "I want that feeling, that someone loves me that much, and I can't find it anywhere."

Anya laughed. "You can't look for it, Claire Bear. If you search for it, you'll never find it. Love finds you, not the other way around. Look at Daddy and Hermione. They certainly didn't look for it - at least not in each other. It just evolved over time."

"But they're not married," Claire countered.

"Which is bloody ridiculous," Anya added. "They should have gotten married years ago."

Claire stood up and moved over to her bed, linking arms with her sister as she rested her blond head on Anya's shoulder. "I just want to fall in love. It's all I've ever really wanted, you know."

Anya gave her sister's arm a loving pat. "You're only sixteen, Claire. You've got plenty of time, and you shouldn't waist your efforts on Albus Potter - considering Grace had to all but knock him over the head to get him to realize she liked him. He's completely immune to those sorts of things, I swear."

Claire laughed. "Teddy isn't."

"Again, he is your third cousin, and that's just not right!" Anya exclaimed. "What is with your ability to become infatuated with inappropriate men?"

Dissolving into giggles, Claire shrugged her shoulders with a twinkle in her eye. "Please. Even you have to admit that Theodore Lupin is a sexy creature, a gift from the heavens. You've seen him at Grandma and Grandpa's pool. Those abs, his tan, his luscious locks of hair -"

"Ew," Anya said, completely disturbed at her sister's gushing. "Don't ever use the world luscious to describe your _cousin. _It's foul."

"Don't get me wrong," Claire said, standing up and walking to her closet to find a thin, short-sleeved shrug to wear with her dress so her dad didn't give her a disapproving look. "Being an auror has done wonders for James. He's definitely become more handsome with age. But Teddy…I mean, it's like he was sculpted by a Greek God."

"Again, your cousin. Your _third_ cousin. This is whom you're describing. Are you even hearing yourself right now?"

"I hardly find anything wrong about stating the obvious," Claire replied nonchalantly, finding a white shrug with ruffles around the edges. "Perfect!" she exclaimed, catching her reflection in one of the many mirrors in her room. "God I'm gorgeous," she said to own reflection.

Anya laughed, shaking her head as Claire watched herself as she spun around in the mirror. "I swear the older you get the worse you are."

"There's nothing wrong with a little vanity, YaYa," Claire told her sister. "Not everyone has someone who wouldn't care if they showed up in a designer gown or a rubbish bag. Some of us always have to make sure we're impressing others."

"Yes, well," Anya said, standing up as she smoothed out her scoop neck dress. "Keep it up and you'll be impressing Dad's longstanding desire to build a dungeon to keep you in, because if you keep this up, you'll give him a coronary before he turns fifty."

Claire looked at her sister, her hands perched on her hips as she gave her a silly smile. "You know, Anya, you're starting to sound like Hermione with all that worrying your doing."

"Well, someone needs to worry about you," Any replied with a knowing look. "Please behave today."

Claire rolled her eyes. "I always behave, Anya."

"Somehow, I'm not sure I find you all that convincing."

* * *

><p>Leo and Scorpius all but mauled Albus when he came into the door, shouting and making an unruly ruckus about dragons and asking him if he brought any more pictures from Romania, like he did at Christmas time. Draco practically had to pry both of them away from the poor boy to give him a chance to breathe. Albus wasn't able to come home much with his job, but when he did he thoroughly enjoyed the company. Once he was thoroughly hugged and kissed by his mother, Hermione, and Lily, he managed a manly hug out of his father before letting Scorpius and Leo drag him over to the dining room table, where he pulled an obscene number of pictures he had Grace take for him this past week while he was at work.<p>

"Whoa!" Leo gasped, holding up a picture of Charlie wrangling a Hungarian Horntail. "Dad! Uncle Harry! Look at this!"

Harry looked unimpressed as Draco laughed. "Having seen a Hungarian Horntail nearly take my head off, I'm not too keen on seeing another - or knowing my son is doing a better job taming them than I did."

"In my defense, I'm like, five years older than you were when you met one," Albus chimed. "Besides. Dragons are seriously misunderstood creatures, you know."

Hermione choked on her coffee as she tried to laugh and swallow at the same time, James giving her a good smack on the back as she cleared her throat. She looked over at Harry, who looked as if he believed his son had been brained washed by a particular former Hogwarts gamekeeper.

"I sure hope you're being careful," Ginny said, taking a look at some of the pictures on the kitchen table.

"I am, Mum," Albus reassured her. "I promise. Uncle Charlie still won't let me near any of the really dangerous dragons. This horntail here is just a baby."

Harry poured himself a cup of coffee and took two creamer packets from Hermione with a spoon to stir. "Well, you're your mother's baby, and your Uncle Charlie is probably keeping you away from the dangerous ones because all the Weasley brothers are terrified of your mother."

"With good reason!" Ginny exclaimed. "Charlie knows I'd kill him if anything happened."

"Yeah - could you make take that threat down to a maiming so I can do some other stuff?" Albus asked. "I'm really trying to learn this trade, and I feel like I've been there for almost two years and Uncle Charlie's holding me back because he's terrified you'll kill him if anything happens to me."

"That's actually a healthy fear, Al," Harry piped in with a nervous chuckle.

Albus scowled at his father. "I promise I'm being really careful," he continued, looking up at his mother. "Besides, Gracie would kill me if I ever did anything too dangerous, and I wouldn't do that to her. Or you," Albus quickly added. "I promise."

Ginny sighed. Lily might have been her youngest, but Albus was always her baby, and she was not wild about his choice in careers. "I'll talk to Charlie," she acquiesced as Albus silently pumped a fist in victory. "But here me good, Albus Severus - if you come back to me with one hair out of place, you will be finding a new career, you hear me?"

Albus leapt out of his chair and gave his mother a gigantic hug, kissing her cheek soundly as she shooed him away. "Thank you Mum!" he exclaimed. "I promise you won't regret it."

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, giving him a look as she mussed his hair. "You best be finding your Gran while your home so she can tend to this mop of a hairdo you're sporting."

Albus blushed slightly. "Yeah, Grace told me I can't come back with it looking like this already."

"That's because Gracie's a good girl," Ginny replied with a smile. She knew she was lucky that her sons had girlfriends she whole-heartedly approved of without having to pretend to do so.

"Al?" Leo asked, holding up a picture. "What sorts of dragons are these?"

He took a look at the picture and laughed. "These dragons? These are Ukrainian Ironbellies - but these two in particular are incredibly rare because they were actually twins. We were called out to this forest in the middle of nowhere a few months back where we came across this dragon egg - literally the biggest dragon egg I'd ever seen in my life - and it took three teams to transport it over four days back to our dragon reserve, where it hatched just days later. I thought Uncle Charlie was going to pee his pants, he was so excited about there being two baby dragons in one egg."

"Mum! Come see these!" Leo exclaimed, holding the picture of the twin dragons in her direction.

Hermione had half a mind to explain to her son that she actually jumped onto the back of a Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon as a last resort so that she, Ron, and Harry could escape their break-in to Bellatrix LeStrange's vault to find a horcrux that she ultimately destroyed in the Chamber of Secrets, but bit her tongue and smiled instead. She wasn't ready for her boys to know that story yet, and neither was their father.

Instead, she walked over and briefly peered at the photo. _Yes. That's exactly how I remember it to look_, she thought to herself, brushing a hand over Leo's platinum blond head of hair. "Very exciting," she said to her boys.

"Mum - look at this one," Scorpius said, pointing to what looked like a Norwegian Ridgeback in Hermione's opinion. "Didn't you say you saw one of these once with Hagrid?"

She laughed. "Yes, sweetheart, I did. It belched and nearly singed off Hagrid's beard, it did!"

Scorpius and Leo exchanged looks and grinned mischievously. "Wicked!" they said in tandem.

* * *

><p>When Teddy arrived, Scorpius and Leo clamored about the poor man just as they did when Albus arrived, dragging him by the hands to come and see the pictures Albus brought. Teddy wasn't planning on coming today. Victoire wanted him to go to France instead to see her parents, and he almost did, but Katie's little lip pouted when she heard that Teddy might not be able to come, and a pouting Katie was practically irresistible. Two days ago, James sent him an owl, telling him that they planned on finally coming clean to their parents about their wedding three years ago, where Teddy was not only the sole witness, but the minister as well. Not filing their marriage with the Ministry of Magic but in the muggle London, Teddy spent his time on the Internet, a new hobby of his as he had taken over Arthur Weasley's position of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts upon his retirement.<p>

The Internet was fascinating thing to Teddy. In his mind, it held all of the answers anyone could possibly need, and then some. When Anya and James came to him, telling him that they wanted to get married but had every intention of eloping, he quickly signed on board with the plan. They just needed to find someone to marry them, but were unsure of how to do that in the muggle world as they had primarily spent their lives in the wizarding world.

That's when Teddy thought of the Internet. He sat in his apartment late one night while Victoire slept in his bed, half naked from their latest romp in the sheets, quickly searching for how to become a minister. When he found a way to ordain himself in five minutes by answering a handful of questions and paying a small fee with a muggle credit card, he found an official certificate in his email moments later.

"_Look at this!" Teddy exclaimed, holding his printed certification of ordination up in front of James and Anya as he popped over to their flat. "According to this, I can legally marry you two - in the muggle world - which means no one has to know - and I have now topped myself in the brilliant planning department!" _

_Anya, still wearing her practice leotard and tights from rehearsal, snatched the document from her hand and scanned it quickly. "Oh my God!" she gasped. "James - he's not kidding! He could really do this!" _

"_Of course I'm not kidding, you bony pain in the ass!" Teddy exclaimed with a laugh. "And get this - Mum and Dad are going out of town this weekend with Lily. So if you want, we can just do this right up in the backyard, just like we used to when we were little."_

_James grinned, picking up Anya and laughing as he spun her around. "This is too perfect!" he cried as Anya giggled, wrapping her legs around his waist. "I mean, it's absolutely perfect! It will be just like we used to do, or well, like you forced us to do when we were little!" _

"_Yeah - all we need to do is get a wedding certificate, and make sure Anya stomps her foot at me at least once and shouts, _Now Teddy! _He mimicked, perching his hands haughtily on his hips. _This time, marry us like you mean it!

"_Teddy?" Anya said sweetly as James put her back down on the ground._

"_Yes, my future pseudo sister-in-law-slash-cousin?" _

_She gave him a good thump upside the head as James laughed. "Don't mock me. And make sure you wear a nice suit." _

Teddy used Jean and Richard's arrival to peel James and Anya away without being noticed, the three of them finding themselves away from the chaos momentarily as they stood in the drawing room with the doors shut. Teddy threw up a silencing charm for good measure before any of them spoke.

"So…you're going to tell them," he said, rather than asking. "I mean, it's about bloody time, of course, but I still get it."

James nodded as Anya leaned into him, allowing James to wrap an arm securely around her waist. "Well, we kind of have another announcement to make too."

"What, that you got married twice without telling them?" he joked.

Anya placed a hand on her stomach. "I'm pregnant."

"Shut. The fuck. Up."

"Don't speak to me like a teenage girl," Anya snarked.

"Did you mean to get pregnant?"

"Of course we did," they chimed in together.

Teddy's eyes went wide as his hair shifted from its usual dirty blond to bright teal with purple tips. "Holy shit, James - you're going to be a dad! That's amazing!"

Beaming, James hugged Anya closer to him as Teddy gave them both a quick and hard hug. "Thanks. That really means a lot to us."

Anya nodded in agreement. "It truly does."

"Except now you're going to be really dead," Teddy said, making a face. "Draco is going to flip. Not to mention Mum is going to _fucking_ kill you."

"I really don't think it's going to be that bad," James said, acting braver than he felt. "We had our reasons, and if we had to do it again, we wouldn't change a thing, would we?"

Nodding, Anya looked up at James. "It was perfect…exactly the way it was."

"Well - the good news is that you don't have to sell it to me," Teddy said. "When are you telling them?"

"Once the party's over," Anya replied. "I don't want to ruin Katie's day, and once she opens her presents, she'll be distracted by all of her presents, most of them books more than likely, that she won't even notice when we tell everyone."

Teddy made a face. "Books? Who gets a four year old books?"

"This one here bought her an entire encyclopedia for kids set," James said, gesturing with his head to his wife. "Just wait - the look on Katie's face will be priceless."

* * *

><p>Draco was convinced he was going to have to build another bookshelf in Katie's room. There were books on animals and space, magical creatures and fairy tale stories, and more scattered about. Anya was all about dress up clothes at four. Claire was all about dolls and those weird muggle Barbies with the clothes that were always impossible to snap into place because Barbie was in serious need of a breast reduction.<p>

And then there was his Katie, without a doll or dress up shoe in sight, surrounded by books, with a few games mixed in for good measure. Hermione diligently wrote down each gift and the giver, so that she and Katie could make thank you cards to send out later as she did with all of the children on their birthdays. He was proud as she read aloud each of her birthday cards, impressing all of the adults in the room as she rarely stumbled over a word. He knew Hermione was worried that Katie was too much like her, wanting to know everything and easily frustrated when there was no answer to be found, but Draco didn't worry. She had enough siblings, friends, and adults surrounding her to give a healthy balance.

The gift from Anya and James was the last present, as Draco used his wand to carefully levitated it in front of his daughter. He watched her eye it carefully before tearing into the paper, peeling chunks of it away until she realized what sat in front of her. She looked up at Anya, then at James, then back down at the set of books in front of her, then over at her mother, who was trying not to laugh, and then to her father. "Guys," she said in her most serious voice. "Do you even _know_ what this _is?_"

Richard laughed at his youngest grandchild as Jean chuckled along with him. "Why don't you tell us what it is, Buttercup?"

"It's a _psychopedia!_" Katie exclaimed in a loud whisper, as if talking any louder would disturb the knowledge inside.

"_Encyclo_pedia, Katie," Hermione gently corrected.

Anya leaned forward, her elbows resting on her crossed legs as she wiggled her eyebrows at her baby sister. "What do you think?" she asked. "You think you'll find the answers to everything in there?"

She nodded seriously, unsure of which letter of the alphabet to read first. A made more sense, but the letter C, S, and T had been broken up into two books apiece, while U,V, and XYZ all shared a book. "I sure hope so," Katie finally answered, still staring at her present in awe. She scurried around the large set of books and leaped into Anya's arms, hugging her tight. Anya laughed as she rocked backwards, leaning into the couch as she hugged her littlest sister. "I'm so glad you like it," Anya said, kissing her cheek.

"I love it!" Katie said, pecking her lips against Anya. She then crawled over into James' lap and gave him a big hug as well. "Thank you James," she said, pecking his lips just as she did to her sister.

"You're welcome, my little bug," James said, using his own nickname he had for her. She was the tiniest of the Malfoy children at birth, born two months early. Katie was the tiniest baby James had ever seen, and while he cared a great deal for all of Anya's siblings, Katie had a special place in his heart. "Are you ready for cake yet?" he asked, tickling her stomach as she giggled. "Because I don't know about you, but I know I'm ready for cake."

Anya rolled her eyes and snorted. "You're always ready for anything that involves sugar."

"I want cake!" Scorpius shouted.

"Me too!" Leo chimed in.

"Let's do cake!" Katie exclaimed with a laugh, leaping off of James' lap. Everyone clamored about, grabbing cameras and making their way into the dining room. Claire scooped Katie up and swung her over - albeit gently - towards Hermione, who caught her daughter and plopped her down on her lap as everyone gathered around the table. Al took his wand and dimmed the lights in the room as Jean brought in her double chocolate birthday cake with four candles burning bright. She sat the cake down in front of her granddaughter and Draco stood behind Hermione, his hands braced on her chair as he leaned in and kissed Katie's cheek as she blushed, as everyone began to sing Happy Birthday.

"Make a wish," Draco whispered in her ear, smirking as he could see her mind reeling, deciding what to use her birthday wish on this year.

Katie looked over at her father, and then at her mother, her lips pursed together before she clapped her hands together with the most brilliant of thoughts. Sucking in as deep of a breath as her little lungs could hold, she blew out her candles, her two brothers aiding in getting them all out in one huff. Everyone clapped for Katie as she blushed again, burying half of her face into Hermione's chest as her mother hugged her tight. "Happy Birthday, baby girl," Hermione whispered said softly as her fingers raked through her curls. "Did you make a good wish?"

Katie nodded. "I made the _best_ wish, Mummy."

"If it's the _best_ wish, I most certainly hope it comes true," Hermione replied with an adoring smile.

* * *

><p>Once the excitement of the party had died down, the older kids were outside enjoying the beautiful summer evening while the adults were inside, sipping tea and coffee and catching up with each other. Claire opted to stay inside instead of going out with her siblings and Lily as Teddy and Al were both inside, but Anya didn't mind. She figured Claire could hear her announcement with the grownups and she and James could explain it to the smaller siblings later.<p>

Katie, however, exhausted from the day's festivities, was passed out in James' lap, hugging him as her head was perched upon his shoulder while he was slouched on the sofa. Draco offered to take her upstairs a few times to put her to bed but James waved him off. "She's fine," he said, not minding a bit. Katie was his snuggle bug, and at the moment, calming his nerves. She was also going to make a pretty good human shield, and prevent his mother and her father from shouting when they broke the news.

"Anya," Jean said as she and her husband sat in the two wingback chairs near the fireplace. "You look nervous. Is everything alright?"

Anya clasped her hands together, squeezing them tight as she glanced over at James, figuring it was now or never. "Um, well, yes, I mean, everything is alright," she quickly said. "But James and I did want to talk to you all about something."

Draco looked over at his daughter, as he, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny sat together on the recently purchased sectional sofa, which Hermione found to be a brilliant addition as they often had people over to visit. "Which is?" he inquired, wondering if they were finally going to announce an engagement.

It wasn't hard to notice Anya's nerves, a rarity to be exposed this way in front of others. James looked over at Teddy and nodded towards Katie. Getting the message, Teddy carefully pulled the birthday girl from James' arms without waking her. "You can put her down on the couch in the drawing room," Hermione offered, Teddy giving her a nod of understanding as he briefly disappeared.

James' hand reached over and grabbed Anya's, holding it tight as he gave her a smile. "So, three years ago in May –"

"May 25th to be exact," Anya interjected, squeezing his hand.

"Anya and I got married in my parents' backyard," James finished.

The entire room was silent, eyes wide and some jaws slightly slacked at James' confession. Richard and Jean sat together, smirking at the news while Hermione looked shocked, Draco's mouth moving as if he were attempting to say something, but nothing was coming out. Harry didn't look surprised at all, on the other hand, but his wife looked like she was going to eventually process her son's words and then lose whatever ability to be rational that she had. Al and Claire looked about as surprised as Hermione was, but said nothing.

"Why are you smirking?" Ginny finally said to Teddy, who was standing behind the small sofa James and Anya were perched upon. "Did you know?"

"I married them," Teddy stated, owning his role in their little charade with pride.

Draco laughed, slapping a hand on his knee as he appeared to be relieved. "I feel better now," he said. "If Teddy married them, it's not exactly legal."

"Oh it's definitely legal," Teddy smugly replied. "I got ordained on the Internet and married them. I can marry anyone, really. All they have to do is ask. And we registered it with the city of London instead of the Ministry of Magic."

Draco stopped laughing. "You're joking."

"I'm telling you – muggles like instant gratification. It took me ten minutes and a muggle credit card," Teddy replied. "It was brilliant, actual-."

"I'm sorry," Ginny interrupted. "But I would think that if my own son got married in my backyard, I would know about it."

"You and Dad were on holiday with Lily," James said. "You took her to Disneyland Paris while Al was finishing his last few weeks of school."

"So you just eloped!" Ginny exclaimed. "Without your friends present? Without your family present?"

Anya shook her head fiercely. "Please don't shout at him, Ginny, it was completely my idea and –"

"Well of course it was your idea!" Ginny cried. "This has you written all over it!"

"And what in the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" Draco piped in, shooting a glare in Ginny's direction. "It's not like she held a wand to his head and made him do it. He clearly looks like he was ok with the blasted plan! It's not her fault he goes along with every one of her ridiculous plans!"

Harry stood up from the couch and looked at his wife and Draco. "Let's just calm down for a second. Obviously they've got a reason for doing what they did –"

"And why they're telling us now," Hermione added, looking Anya directly in the eye, as if she knew her secret.

Anya blushed, looking down as James let go of her hand and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders. "We're going to have a baby," she said quietly, looking up at her father as she finished her sentence.

"Which we did on purpose too," James added quickly before anyone could talk. "I'm sure guys are upset and that's fine – you can be mad at us all you want. But we just wanted the day to be about us, and nobody else, and now that Anya's done dancing and my career is on track, we've decided to start a family and nobody gets to make us feel bad about that. Dad, Mum, Draco – all of you were married and had children before you were our age and so you can't tell us we're too young –"

"You are too young!" Ginny cried. "I know this because I lived it – but it was different for us! We just survived a war – we've seen things you'll never see in your lifetime!"

James didn't care. "Why should it matter? We've been together since we were thirteen. I've been in love with her since I was seven – and nothing was or will ever change that."

Claire, who had been sitting silently next to Al this entire time could no longer stay silent. She glared at her sister, never having been this mad at Anya in her entire sixteen years, and marched out of the room. Anya called out to her with little avail, her shoulders dropping as Claire continued her retreat upstairs. "Damn it," Anya said under her breath.

"Give her time," Hermione said reassuringly. "She'll cool off eventually. You always did."

Anya gave a halfhearted laugh. "Too true." She looked over at Richard and Jean, as they were still silent. "Are you guys mad too?" she asked. "It wasn't like we didn't want people there. We didn't do it to hurt you guys."

Richard smiled at his eldest granddaughter, what was left of his hair greying as his hairline continued to recede. "We eloped," he said to Anya with a twinkle in his eye. "We get it."

"Really?" Anya said with a small smile. "You guys eloped?"

Jean nodded. "My parents wanted this crazy, over the top wedding and halfway through the planning I couldn't take it anymore and so we just went to Greece and eloped."

"We could have planned a small wedding!" Ginny cried. "We could have just done friends and family –"

"Which would have been at least 200 people," James countered. "You saw what happened when Roxanne got married – it was a bloody circus! Dad's the Minister of Magic now, Draco's his right hand man, on top of Hermione being a bestselling author and mum as a former Hollyhead Harpies player – there was no way this was going to be a small wedding. Ever."

"James is right, Dad," Al piped in. "Gracie and I have been talking…you know…about our futures and stuff…and she's horrified at the prospect of a gigantic wedding, if of course, we ever do get married."

James smiled at his brother, grateful for his support, while Anya continued to stare at her hands she held together.

"Anya," Hermione spoke gently. "I'm sorry you felt like you had to elope if what you feared was a big wedding. I do understand how you and James thought it was unavoidable."

She shook her head no, doing her best to blink away tears that she felt forming in her eyes. "I don't care how big it would have been," she managed to speak. "But the thought of the entire wizarding world being there without Mum – I just – I still can't – I'm sorry," she quickly stuttered, quickly standing up and exiting the room before anyone could stop her.

"I'll go after her," Jean said, slowly standing up.

Richard stood up from his chair, intent on following his wife as he grabbed his walking cane, as he was recovering from a hip replacement. "I think I'll follow you, dear."

The room was uncomfortably silent for several minutes. Teddy took Anya's place on the couch, giving James a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder while the adults continued to process the abundance of information given to them. Draco eventually stood up to pace, because pacing was what he did when he didn't know what else to do. Hermione watched Draco as he moved across the room, wearing a path in the floor. She found herself more disappointed in the fact that they eloped and didn't say anything for three years more than she was about the fact that they eloped to begin with.

Ginny of course was seething, completely upset at the fact that she missed her first born child's wedding, and that he did the entire thing behind his back. She felt hurt and betrayed, convinced that Anya – while she adored her – had to have tricked him into agreeing to this plan. Her husband, however, was unusually calm, and that was unnerving her more than anything. "You knew, didn't you?" she said suddenly, pointing an accusatory finger at her husband.

"I didn't tell Dad," James said.

"Harry. You knew this whole time, didn't you," Ginny accused again, ignoring her son.

Harry shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets. "I had my suspicions," he finally said.

"And you didn't think to bring these 'suspicions' up with your wife?" she asked.

"Honestly, Gin, it was right after I was appointed Minister, it was a fleeting conversation I had with a staffer after meeting the Prime Minister, and…I don't know, Ginny?" Harry said, exasperatedly. "Why does it even matter now? They're married. They're obviously happy. We're going to be grandparents – and by the way, James, you could have waited until I was at least fifty before giving me a grandchild – so why can't we just be happy for them?"

Draco continued to pace, unsure of how he felt. On one hand, he was as mad as Ginny. Anya was his oldest - his first child - and he missed what was supposed to be one of the biggest days of her life. On the other hand, Anya had matured greatly over the years. She was no longer the irrational, quick to decide without fear of repercussions girl she once was. She had a good head on her shoulders. When he anticipated her to give him grief when Hermione was first pregnant with Leo, she instead surprised them all and grew up right before their eyes. She was so helpful to Hermione when she was home, and when Leo was born she did her best to occupy her siblings whenever she came home from school so that Hermione would have a break. She doted on Leo and offered to babysit to give Draco and Hermione a night out for dinner.

When Hermione had Katie a month a half early, Claire was twelve, giving Hermione and Draco grief about everything because she no longer wanted a little sister, the appeal wearing off as she was no longer six. Her disappointment was brief when they found out Leo was a boy, but when Hermione got pregnant again, Claire was almost unbearable to deal with. Draco joked now that he wasn't sure if Claire was going to survive Hermione's last pregnancy, but four years ago it was nearly the truth. They were beyond grateful when Anya decided to take a three month leave from the ballet company to come home and help. James was busy with his intensive auror training, with a rare weekend off every other month, and so it made sense to both of them for Anya to come home and help her family. It was Anya who snapped Claire's attitude back into check, and kept the boys entertained while Draco and Hermione spent their days at the hospital until she was able to come home, six weeks after she was born.

"James?" Draco finally spoke, his pacing ceased as he stared at this boy, now man, who had done many things over the years to earn his respect. "This is about her mother, isn't it?"

James nodded matter-of-factly. "I proposed to her days after you and I talked, when I asked you if you would allow me to marry your daughter."

"_You're sure you want to marry her?" Draco asked as they stood on the Potter's back porch. "She isn't returnable, you know." _

_James laughed at Draco's joke as he nodded. "I don't plan on returning her, Sir. I love her, and I don't see us getting married anytime soon, and I don't even know when I'm going to propose, to be honest. I just want to know that when I do, you'll be ok with it." _

_Draco clapped a hand on James shoulder and gave him a serious look. "You're certain you want to marry her?"_

"_Yes." _

"_For how long?" _

"_About three months after we moved in together after graduation," James honestly replied. "I don't want anyone else, Sir. I wouldn't know what to do with anyone else…because they aren't her." _

_Draco smiled. "Good answer. Whenever you figure out how to pluck up the courage to ask, you'll have my blessing." _

"_Thank you, Sir." _

"_James. You can stop calling me Sir now." _

"_Ok Sir…I mean, Mr. Malfoy." _

"_Draco will be fine, Son." _

"I didn't know I was going to ask her so soon," James added after a few moments of silence. "I didn't even have a ring…I had to propose twice, actually, now that I think about it. "There was just a moment, and my gut said to just do it, and I did. To which I got yelled at after she said yes because I didn't have a ring so I surprised her with one later that weekend, so she'd say yes…again."

Draco actually chuckled at James' recounting, not shocked at all by his daughter's demand for a 'redo.'

"If everyone was there at the wedding, she would have been consumed with the idea that everyone was there but her mother, and she didn't want that," James continued, standing up to face Draco. "Everything big, everything exciting that happens to her, to us, Astoria overshadows it, and I've spent years trying to fix it and now I've just given up. Anya spent years trying to get this woman to love her the way my mother loves me…the way Hermione loves her, and when the moment came it was ripped away. Astoria's been gone for ten years now and she still comes up. 'I wish my mother could have seen' or 'I wonder what Mum would have thought of that' and I know Anya hates that she still has those thoughts. She's told me several times…and when she told me that she didn't want anyone there but her and me…and then Teddy because we needed someone to marry us…I said ok. She wanted the day to just be about us, and it was. I wouldn't change it. Neither would she. We got married in the same spot under the bit oak tree just like we practiced when we were little…and it was perfect." He took in a deep breath, shocked that he just spilled everything without blacking out or shaking, and exhaled slowly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on my wife."

* * *

><p>Anya sat on the front porch swing in between Richard and Jean, hugging Richard's arm as she cried quietly on his shoulder, after spending twenty minutes explaining their reasoning for eloping Jean was sitting right up against her, wrapping an arm around her as she comforted her. "They'll get over it," Jean promised.<p>

"Ginny won't," Anya sniffled. "Who knows what Dad's thinking - he barely said anything, and Hermione just sat there and -"

"Ginny will get over it, darling," Jean reassured her. "They just don't understand."

Anya sniffled again as Richard offered her his handkerchief. "And we didn't mean to not tell them for three years. It just sort of happened. We didn't tell them at first, and then we both got busy and James was always gone and I was always dancing and it just…we were so used to not saying anything that it didn't matter anymore. But now…" she gently blew her nose and folded the handkerchief to clench in her hand.

Richard kissed her head, then rested his against hers. "You're going to be a Mummy," he said with a hint of excitement.

"When are you due?" Jean asked.

Anya sat up a little bit so she could look at them both. "End of January," she said. "My friend from ballet, she already sent over a treasure trove of maternity clothes, as she had her son in February. I just can't believe I'm going to be that fat."

Jean and Richard laughed as Jean gave Anya a strong side armed hug. "I'm sure you'll carry all of it in your belly, and you'll be one of those girls everyone hates because you'll look like you never had a baby a few weeks later."

"I hope so," Anya said. "Though my breasts are finally growing though."

"Grandpa doesn't want to hear about such things, young lady," Richard playfully warned.

"They hurt something terrible too," Anya whispered to Jean.

"It will eventually stop," Jean reassured her. "Do you think you'll move out of the condo and into a house?"

She shook her head no, sniffling again as her tears slowly dried. "The condo has three bedrooms. It's big enough for us for a while. If we have more we might, but not for now. We like living in the city. I hardly use magic anymore unless I'm making a potion, and James only really uses it at work. We've adapted to muggle life, I guess you could say."

"It's good to be able to function in both worlds," Jean said. "I remember how awkward it was for Ginny, and Ron when the war was over and they were in both with Harry and Hermione. I think it's good for you - and for your children."

Richard reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "You really shouldn't worry - or stress about any of this," he told her. "Because the most important question you have to answer is this - are you happy?"

"Yes," she said, speaking softly.

"Would you change anything?" Jean asked.

"No," Anya said, quietly but confidently.

The front door opened and the three of them turned their attention to James, who was walking towards them with his hands shoved in his pockets. He took a seat on the white, wooden porch railing, kicking his heels against the wooden slats. "Thank you," James said, looking at Jean and Richard. "You know…for not yelling."

Jean waved him off as she got up from the swing. She took two steps and planted a kiss on his forehead as James laughed. "You take care of my girl and we will be just fine," Jean promised. "But I know you will, because you're a good boy, James. You always have been."

"He's not a boy, Jean," Richard said, looking at James with a knowing stare. "He's a man. A good man."

James blushed. "That means a lot coming from both of you. Really." He looked over at Anya, her red rimmed eyes and tear stained cheeks, upset that the talk didn't go all that well, though they only got yelled at by his mother, so in all honesty - it could have gone worse. "You alright, love?"

"Your mother hates me."

James waved her off. "She'll get over it. Al's going to propose to Grace soon, and she won't even care. You know Al's her favorite anyway," he added with a laugh.

"And then she'll be reminded of all the things she didn't do for us when she does it for them," Anya stated with a scowl.

"We're about to produce a grandchild - if she gives us grief, we'll just do what she did to Gran when Gran got on her nerves - we'll hold the kid hostage until she sees reason," James said.

Richard laughed. "James is right - grandchildren are some powerful ammunition." He looked at Anya and shrugged his shoulders. "Should we go back inside and see if the smoke has cleared?"

Anya dropped her shoulders a bit. "I should go talk to Claire but I know she won't speak to me. Maybe Hermione's right and I should just give her a few days to cool off." She sighed as she stood up, Jean moving out of her way as she stood in front of James. He stood up and rubbed his hands up and down her arms as Anya dropped her head against the middle of his chest. "I'm tired," she told him. "Can we just go?"

"Without saying goodbye?" James asked.

"I think that's just putting fuel on the fire," Jean spoke. "You should at least say goodbye."

Anya sighed. "Fine. We can say goodbye."

"That's the spirit," James teased as he guided her to turn around, a hand on her back as they walked back towards the door, with Richard and Jean following, hand in hand.

Inside, they found everyone, even the younger siblings, asking a gazillion questions to Draco, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny. From what they could piece together, it sounded like Claire let the cat out of the bag at some point because when they saw James and Anya, Lily squealed and launched her twelve year old self onto her brother, who picked her up as he hugged her, while the boys hugged Anya from both sides.

"What is this?" Anya said with a laugh, sniffling a bit as she returned their hugs.

"Because you're married!" Scorpius exclaimed

"And you're having a baby!" Leo exclaimed with equal enthusiasm.

"And we didn't have to dress up!" Scorpius added. "It's the best news ever!"

Anya laughed, mussing his hair as he let go. "You two are so ridiculous."

"Are you two still spending the night with us?" Jean asked the boys.

"Just us, right?" Leo asked.

Richard nodded. "Yes - just a boys night, and we'll go to the car show in the morning. Go run along and get your overnight bags, so we can head out in a minute."

Scorpius and Leo high-fived before scampering off to their rooms, already talking about the fort they would be making in the living room and the cars they might see tomorrow morning.

Lily, with an arm wrapped around her brother, reached over and tugged on Anya's hand. "I'm really excited for you," she said, her long, auburn hair swept out of her face with a single hairpin. "Do you have any pictures from when you got married so we can see them?"

She nodded. "We do, actually. Teddy took them and did a really nice job. He took muggle and wizard ones - they're pretty brilliant, actually."

"Don't sound so shocked," Teddy said, puffing out his chest a bit. "I do amazing work - I'm a jack of all trades, really."

"Tomorrow," James said to Lily. "You can come over and we can look at them."

"Brilliant!" Lily exclaimed. She gave her brother another hug, then went to hug Anya, kissing her cheek. "I'm going to go see if Claire will open her door yet."

"Good luck with that," Draco said from across the room, scratching his jaw.

When the boys came barreling back down the stairs, they said their goodbyes, along with Richard and Jean. Richard shook Draco's hand and gave him a fatherly clap on the arm. "It's ok to be upset," he told him. "But don't be disappointed in her." Draco nodded, letting go of his hand, watching as Richard gave his daughter a hug and a kiss. "You give my buttercup a kiss for me later, alright?"

Hermione laughed. "Of course, Dad."

"We'll bring the boys back tomorrow evening," Jean said. "Now sort this out - you don't want Anya stressing right now."

"We'll figure it out," Hermione promised.

With the boys gone with the grandparents, it left James and Anya alone with their parents, with Teddy and Al standing off to the side, watching to see what would happen next. Ginny still looked furious, though it was hard to tell now if she was more mad at Harry for not speaking about his suspicions or James and Anya for taking away the planning of their wedding. Hermione stood up from the sofa and looked at Draco, her arms against her chest. "Say something to her," she urged.

Draco cleared his throat as Anya chewed on the inside of her cheek. He wanted to say something to her, but he didn't know to say. Instead, he did the only thing he knew he could do. He walked over to his daughter and grabbed her face with his hands. He pressed a kissed her nose, a kiss to her forehead, and gave her a bear of a hug. He felt a few of her tears against his neck as she buried her face into the crook of his shoulder. Letting go, he looked at James and gave him a firm clap on the shoulder, looking right at him and speaking nothing, but his eyes said it would be ok. "I'm going to go check on Katie," he finally managed to speak, as he excused himself from the room.

Exhaling a breath that seemed to be forever held, Anya looked over at Hermione, who gave her a reassuring smile. Harry walked over to both of them, hugging them both. "I plan on punishing both of you later, by spoiling your child rotten."

Anya and James laughed, their arms wrapped around each other as they agreed to Harry's terms.

"I mean it - sugar, loud muggle toys - the whole nine yards," Harry said with a smile. "Because I will have no rules."

"We can handle it," James replied with a grin. He looked over at his mother, her cheeks as red as her hair as she sat, her arms across her chest, still looking like she could curse the world. "Mum, you have to stop," he said.

"Yeah," Al chimed in. "Be happy for them."

"Because if you don't, Albus and I will elope too," Teddy warned.

"What about Lily?" Al asked. "Do you think we could convince her to elope when she's older."

"Oh no," Teddy said, horrified at the thought. "Lily is never getting married. Ever."

Harry pointed a playful finger at Teddy and nodded. "I like your thinking, my boy."

James looked at his mother, waiting for her to speak, but she held her ground, her stubborn Weasley streak showing strong. "So you're just not going to say anything," James nearly spat. "Honestly, Mum, this is ridiculous."

"You didn't take my feelings into consideration, so I don't believe I'll be taking yours into consideration at the moment," Ginny plainly replied.

"Fine," James calmly replied. "But don't think I'll forget this."

"Ginny," Hermione tried to speak. "I really think -"

"No offense, Hermione," Ginny said, standing up hastily. "But I don't care what you think. They aren't your children, so you don't understand how I'm feeling right now."

"Ginny!" Harry screeched as Hermione stood there, speechless. "How could you say that?"

Ginny ignored her husband, reaching for her purse. Apparating out of the house without another word, she left everyone else standing there, completely speechless.


	27. Chapter 27

_**What cracks me up is that half of you were like "Ginny's a bitch!" and half of you were like "I totally get it that she's pissed." They were fun reviews to read - but don't worry...everything will eventually resolve itself!**_

_**Also - clearing up any confusion - I've fixed it where I made mistakes but Draco and Hermopen are NOT married...so far. I repeat - they are not married. I blame any instances which have now been fixed referring to them as married on the fact that I have been writing while high on NyQuil, because I have a cold that is trying to kill me.**_

_**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

* * *

><p>There were nine different paint colors, rolled into uneven rectangles, lined up in a row along the back wall of the spare bedroom that had been deemed the nursery inside the condo that Anya and James shared. There had been much debate about which of the bedrooms would be the nursery, but ultimately, Anya's choice won, and the bedroom next door to their room now housed many bags from the hardware store along with the nine different swatches of paint drying against the already white wall.<p>

Anya was four months pregnant now, her bump slightly pronounced as she wore a thin, green and gray striped, long sleeved sweater with her black leggings and bare feet as she studied the swatches. Hermione stood next to her, also judging each of the colors while Katie sat on the bed, her nose buried in the 'B' book from her encyclopedia. Hermione held a hand against her chest as she tilted her head slightly. "We don't have to just use one, of course."

Anya laughed. "I was thinking the exact same thing."

"They're very gender neutral colors," Hermione noted. "I take it you're planning on being surprised?"

"We want to be surprised," Anya said, her left thumb playing with the back of her wedding rings. "I think it'll be fun."

"I thought you didn't like surprises," Hermione teased, bumping her hip into Anya's.

"It's going to be a boy or a girl," Anya said, moving a hand to her bump. "The only I plan on being surprised is if it comes out not looking like one of us." She rubbed a small circle around her belly and smiled. "I can feel it moving now. James can't, of course, which drives him mental, but I can feel it."

This peeked Katie's interest as she looked up from her encyclopedia volume. "What does it feel like?"

She walked over and sat down on the bed next to her sister, running a few fingers through her brown ringlet curls. "It feels like little flutters."

Katie put her small hands on Anya's belly before pressing a light kiss by her sister's belly button. "I love you baby," she whispered before going back to her book.

Hermione shook her head and laughed at her daughter, her fingers sliding a small, gold heart charm back and forth on the gold chain around her neck. It was a gift from Draco a few weeks ago, the heart holding a birthstone for each of the children with hers in the middle, a note inside the box with his familiar scrawl that said, 'All of your children, close to your heart, forever.' She and Ginny hadn't spoken since that day in her house, when James and Anya made their announcements. Harry was mortified by his wife's behavior, apologizing for it over and over again but Hermione didn't want to hear it from him - she wanted to hear it from her - and she also wanted to hear Ginny apologize to Anya.

"You know Ginny was wrong," Anya said, watching Hermione fiddle with her necklace. "Though I was surprised that you didn't say much of anything that day."

She shrugged, her fingers still holding the charm. "What was there to say, sweetheart? Everything was already done. Yelling wasn't going to solve anything."

"Is Dad still mad?"

Hermione smiled. "He isn't mad. He's just disappointed that he missed the wedding…and that you felt like you had to keep it a secret. I'm not saying he doesn't understand it - but just because he understands it doesn't mean he still isn't disappointed that he missed it."

Anya nodded. "I need to talk to him about it. Maybe I can get him to go to lunch with me one day this week."

"I doubt it would take much convincing," Hermione said with a laugh. "Just pop over to his office. You do remember how to use your magic to get there, right?"

"Funny," she snarked. "And don't mock my muggle lifestyle. We blend in here. It's nice. I was back in Diagon Alley last week picking up some things at the apocathery for a few healing potions everyone was staring at me like I'm some sort of pathetic pregnant girl because no one knows James and I are married yet."

"Harry and I were actually talking about that last week," Hermione said. "We think you two should make a statement to _The Daily Prophet_."

"Hermio-"

"I'm not talking about a sit down story," Hermione interjected, calmly but firm. "It is unfortunate that so much attention in the wizarding world is on you and James…and your siblings as a whole and if we could change that we certainly would. But it is what it is, and its best we make a statement and hope everyone else moves on quickly instead of having them gawk at you, don't you think?"

Anya rolled her eyes. "They'll gawk regardless, don't you think?"

"Yes, I do," Hermione replied. "But best we get it over with sooner rather than later, don't you think?"

She dropped her shoulders in defeat. "Yeah, probably." Anya looked over at her sister as she turned the page. "I wish I was four again," she said wistfully.

"I love being four," Katie said, looking up with a grin. "It's way better than being three."

"And why is that?" Anya asked with a laugh.

"Because Mummy and Daddy will let me go to pre-school this year!" Katie exclaimed. "I finally gets to go to school! It's only for a half day though, three times a week. I wish it was every day, like Leo."

Hermione walked over to the bed and reached for her daughter, plucking her from her spot and setting her on her hip as she held her. "Mummy isn't ready for you to be gone every day," she said, kissing her cheek. "Plus, we'll have plenty to do on our days off, like helping YaYa get ready for the baby."

Katie's eyes were wide with surprise. "You mean, I get to help?"

"Of course!" Anya exclaimed. "I mean, you _are_ four now."

"I am," Katie said with a definitive nod. "And I can help with lots of things, and Leo can help, and Scorp and Claire can help when they come home from Hogwarts! We can all help!"

Anya gave a sad smile. "I don't know about Claire, but maybe she'll come around. She's pretty mad at me for keeping a secret from her."

Katie rested her head on Hermione's shoulder as she looked at her sister. "I don't think she wants to be mad, YaYa."

"I'm not quite sure about that, buttercup."

"I am," Katie said. "She tolded me. She's just…what's that word Daddy uses all the time when he's mad at her?"

"Stubborn," Hermione said with a smirk. "Daddy calls her stubborn."

"Because she is," Katie informed Anya, as if she wasn't already aware. "Mummy, can I have a snack?"

Hermione nodded, setting her daughter down on the ground. "Go tell your brothers to get you an ice lolly from your sister's freezer - but tell Scorp to put a napkin around the stick so it doesn't drip on your sister's carpet."

"Ok!" she shouted as she left the room, running off to find her brothers who were watching cartoons in the living room.

Hermione took a seat on the bed that wouldn't be in this room for much longer, reaching for Anya's hand, smiling as she didn't pull away but held her hand back. The two stared at the various shades of greens, yellows, and a few grayish purples painted on the wall. "Do you have any names picked out?" she asked, giving Anya's hand a squeeze.

Sighing contentedly, Anya placed her other hand on top of her bump. "It'll be James Richard Potter if it's a boy, and we'll call him Jamie. But don't tell Grandpa - if it's a boy, we want it to be a surprise."

"He'll be very honored," Hermione said, squeezing her hand.

"And if it's a girl - but I think it's going to be a boy - it will be Amelia," Anya said quietly. "Amelia Jean." She looked over at Hermione, this mother figure for her entire life when she had no real reason to be, and squeezed her hand. "You're just as important to James as you are to me," she said softly. "Merlin only knows how I would have turned out without you…and I know I don't call you mum and I probably should but I just…when I think of calling you mum I feel like it isn't fair…to associate you with someone who never wanted to the job until it was too late."

Hermione brushed Anya's hair away from her face and smiled, her eyes watering slightly. "You're sweet sometimes, you know that?"

"Blame it on James," Anya said with a teary laugh. "Years of his presence has obviously rubbed off on me."

"I think you give your husband far too much credit," Hermione replied with a laugh.

* * *

><p>When Draco came home from work, he saw Leo and Scorpius sitting on either side of Katie, the three of them mumbling to themselves in hushed excitement, as if they had discovered something no one else knew. He recognized the book as one of Katie's encyclopedia volumes, and felt a little better. It couldn't have been <em>that <em>much trouble if the three of them were huddled around a book of knowledge. In fact - it was probably good for Scorp - who needed to get back into school mode. The train for Hogwarts was only a few days away, and Scorpius already had the threat of no quidditch looming over his towhead if his first quarter grades didn't fare better than his end of year grades.

"Children - where's your mother?" he asked

"Upstairs in the study," the three chimed together, not even looking up once.

"What are you three looking at?" he inquired, as he had always been welcomed home from a long day of work before.

Katie looked up and smiled sweetly at her father. "Nothing, Daddy. We'll show you later."

_This ought to be good_, he thought to himself as he headed upstairs. The only time the boys paid that much attention to Katie at the same time was when they needed her brain - a terrifying thought when remembering that Katie was only four, and the boys, and sometimes Claire, have been using her to create logical arguments for when they need to appeal to himself and Hermione since Katie was three.

The upstairs hallway was covered in photos - Hermione's doing about a year after living in the Manor with him and the children. There were large photos and small photos, black and white photos and color photos both muggle and wizard alike, practically documenting the lives of all the Malfoy children. He always managed to walk slower on the second floor now, as there was always something to look at, something new to remember that he hadn't thought about in awhile. There was a picture of the two boys holding hand made signs they drew at Richard and Jean's house that said _Welcome Home Katie!, _as they impatiently waited for their little sister to finally be able to come home.

They thought they were done with children when Leo arrived. She may have had the world's easiest pregnancy once her brief bout of morning sickness passed, but Hermione had been in a grueling, 18-hour labor in return. Draco never knew what was really happening as they had Leo in a muggle hospital instead of St. Mungo's, and the way muggles and wizards brought babies into the world were as different as night and day. He of course, voted against a muggle doctor and a muggle hospital but it was what Hermione wanted, and it being her 'first' baby, Draco wanted Hermione to be comfortable with her healthcare, even if it meant muggle healthcare. He didn't know much about how it felt to actually have a baby, being a man, but what he did know was that when his first three were born, there were potions and spells casts that made the birth virtually painless. Hermione, however, having read numerous accounts of women who gave birth without any sort of pain medication, had decided that she too would be one of these women.

Nothing made Draco more miserable than seeing Hermione in pain. It was hard for him to stay in the room when the contractions were at their worst, but he didn't dare leave. The doctors eventually suggested something called a cesarean, where they would cut her open and pull their son out, but she shook her head no. _He'll come when he's ready_, she kept saying as she grimaced through the pain. When Leo Granger Malfoy finally made his presence known, Draco pressed his forehead against hers and kissed her soundly on the lips.

_We're going to do it my way next time_, he said to her, brushing her stray, sweaty wisps of hair away from her face.

_Once was more than enough for me_, she replied with a tired laugh. _Two girls and two boys. We're even_.

Then Katie came along, and scared the living daylights out of them. Completely unplanned, Hermione's second - and last - pregnancy was different from her first in every way. The morning sickness lasted nearly five months, her head constantly ached, and her magic was out of control. They started off at a muggle doctor again until Hermione's magic went haywire, and Draco's plea that they see a healer at St. Mungo's was finally heard. It was when they saw the healer that they were told the baby was a girl, and that Hermione's awful bouts of sickness and magic on the fritz was a result of the baby absorbing Hermione's magic. The news scared them at first, until the healer reassured them that it wasn't anything bad for Hermione or the baby, but the healer did tell them that they shouldn't be surprised if their daughter exhibited early and advanced signs of magic. These types of pregnancies were rare in the wizarding world - at least that's what they were told - but the healers reassured them that everything would be fine in the end.

Everything would be fine in the end were the words Draco reiterated to their healer, jabbing his finger into the nervous man's chest with each word when his daughter, delivered by James in their bedroom, came into the world a month and a half early. He'd nearly lost his mind when he saw James' patronus, a gazelle, burst into the meeting room where he and Harry were sitting with the German Minister of Magic to tell him to get home quick because Hermione and the baby were at St. Mungo's, and Draco didn't even bid anyone a polite goodbye before disapparating on the spot.

He landed in the lobby of St. Mungo's and was immediately recognized by a nurse, who quickly whisked him away to where Hermione was currently in a potion-induced sleep, where blood-replenishing potions were currently being administered. James sat in the corner of the room, looking scared out of his mind as he chewed on his thumbnail, staring at his aunt.

"_I just…I came looking for a dress for Anya…" James stuttered. "Leo and Scorp were napping, and I…I heard Aunt Hermione scream and I…I went into your room and she was there…she was there on the bathroom floor and I just…I just -"_

"_He did a good thing," interrupted a different healer from the one Draco previously accosted in the hall as he made his presence known in the room. "That man helped deliver your daughter and managed to get them safely to St. Mungo's in just a moment's time." _

_Draco's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the healer's words._

"_She was already…she was already having her by the time I got in there," James said. "I just helped…I don't know…I just did what Aunt Hermione said…" _

"_Who's with the boys now?" Draco hoarsely asked._

"_My mum," James said quickly. "I sent her…I sent her a patronus. She had Claire with her and Lily…they're all at your house." _

Draco didn't like to think about the events of that day much. Hermione was in a medicated sleep for three days, and Draco was certain in those three days that he aged another thirty years. He noticed on the wall that Hermione managed to frame and hang one of the wedding pictures Anya had given them. Draco was still disappointed that they kept their marriage from everyone, and that they did it in secret, but it was hard for him to stay mad for long. After all, James Potter had been making his oldest daughter a better person for as long as he could remember, and he was the reason his youngest daughter, as well as the love of his life, were still here. He knew James and Anya would eventually get married. It was only a matter of time. That was his reasoning behind naming James and Anya as Katie's godparents, and why when Katie came home, he made it so that if anything were to ever happen to him and Hermione, they would be taken care of by James and Anya.

"There you are," he said, finding Hermione sitting at her desk, working on her latest project - the only official and authorized autobiography of Harry Potter. He perched himself against the edge of her desk as Hermione looked up at him and smiled. "Our sons are conspiring with Katie downstairs, you know."

Hermione laughed, putting down her quill as she leaned back in her chair. "Oh believe me, I'm aware. They've been like that since we got back from Anya's over an hour ago."

"Do I even want to know?" Draco asked wearily.

"Best we wait, and let them tell us," Hermione cheekily replied. "I'm sure it'll be good, considering how long they've been going at it."

He replied with a nod. "Do I want to know where Claire is?"

"She asked to spend the night at Mum and Dad's."

"She's leaving for Hogwarts soon - she should be spending her time with Leo and Katie," Draco grumbled.

"I agree," Hermione said. "But Claire's been in this mood since we found out about James and Anya. Mum and Dad I'm sure will figure out how to crack her, and if they do, maybe we'll have a few pleasant days before Scorp and Claire head back to Hogwarts -"

"While Leo and Katie sulking until their return," Draco said with a snort. "We can never win."

"I think Anya and planning for the baby will help keep them occupied, along with school," Hermione said with a smile. "Your eldest would like to meet you for lunch, by the way."

Draco's eyes brightened. "Really? Just me and her?"

"Yes dear," Hermione said, shaking her head at his enthusiasm. "Just you and her."

"Brilliant!" He leaned down and kissed Hermione, which she returned as the rumblings of small feet echoed down the hall. "Bloody hell here it comes," he mumbled against her lips, kissing her again before they were interrupted by Katie, loudly clearing her throat as her brothers stood behind her. He and Hermione looked over towards their motley crew and smiled. "Can we help you?"

Katie was holding her 'B' volume book open against her tiny chest, her small arms barely holding it in place as she walked towards them. "Mummy, Daddy," she began in her most serious voice. "I know you said that the boys can't have a dragon…but I think I found a dragon that they _can _have - because it's not really a dragon." She tossed her open book up onto Hermione's desk and crawled up into her lap, pointing at the picture of a big green lizard with small spiny clusters around its head and throat. "This," she began to explain, "is called a bearded dragon, but it's really just a lizard. And it eats things like lettuce and vegetables, and it could live in a tank - with a lid of course - and a lamp so that it doesn't get cold. I finded it while I was reading at YaYa's house."

Draco questioned how much Katie was actually reading a few weeks back, and found himself aghast when she haughtily read back to him a paragraph about anteaters, only stumbling over the more scientific words. His biggest fear about sending her to pre-school this year was that she would be bored. Dragging a hand down his face, his thumb and index finger momentarily pinching the bridge of his nose, he looked over at Hermione who looked utterly amused. "You're actually considering this?" he said. "A lizard. In this house?"

"It lives in a tank," Hermione said. "It doesn't breathe fire -"

"And it has the word _dragon_ in its name," Leo added for good measure.

"And I could take one to Hogwarts," Scorpius chimed in. "They let you bring all sorts of pets now. Al had a weasel, remember?"

Hermione nodded, her eyes scanning the blurb about the bearded dragon in her daughter's book. "This might be an acceptable compromise," she said. "Of course, your father and I will have to discuss it."

"What does compromise mean?" Katie asked.

"It means to meet in the middle," Hermione explained. "We said no to a dragon because they're dangerous, but you and your brothers have found a more acceptable pet and it has the word dragon in it. If your father and I say yes, then it means we compromised - we found an appropriate solution where both parties are happy."

Katie nodded in understanding. "Ok. We'll wait for you to compromise then. When do you think you'll say yes?"

Draco laughed, grabbing his daughter from Hermione's lap and holding her up, playfully shaking her as he often did to hear her infectious laugh. "What if we never say yes?" he asked as she giggled. "What if we make you wait forever!"

"Daddy!" Katie squealed. "Mummy won't let you!"

He pulled her to his chest, giving her an uncertain look as his arms wrapped around, right underneath her bum. "What makes you think Mummy is the boss around here?"

"Because she is," Scorpius said matter-of-factly. "Will you tell us yes or no tomorrow?"

Hermione nodded, looking over at the boys. "We'll tell you our decision at breakfast. Sound like a deal?"

"Yes Mum," the boys chimed, hopeful in that they would hear a yes.

Draco tapped his lips with his finger, and Katie obliged as she gave her father a kiss. "I love you," he said, nuzzling his nose to hers.

"I love you too, Daddy," she said, her breathy, princess like voice melting his heart each time she uttered those words. "Did you do anything fun today at work?"

"Nope," he replied. "Just followed Uncle Harry to a bunch of boring meetings."

"Can I come to work with you?" she asked hopefully. "I'd be super good, and super helpful."

"Maybe next week," Draco said, knowing he'd probably take her on Wednesday, when it was usually slow at the office. She was not a stranger to the Ministry, and Harry, humoring Katie on her every whim, had a special area made up just for her, complete with a desk, a name plate, and writing quills inside both his office and Draco's. He put her down and gave her bum a pat. "Now go run off and play with your brothers."

The children scampered out of the room, congratulating themselves as they felt pretty confident that they would hear a yes tomorrow, as was Draco as he looked at Hermione, still reading the blasted encyclopedia. "Why wait until tomorrow?" Draco asked. "You know you're already ready to say yes."

"It's more fun for us this way," she replied with a glint in her eye.

Draco chuckled. "Nice to see where you get your kicks, Granger."

"Please - you know you're going to find just as much enjoyment out of this as I am," Hermione replied with a smirk. She stood up from her chair and stood face to face with him, nudging his knees with hers so she could stand between them, hanging her arms leisurely around his neck, loosely locking her fingers together. "How was your day?"

"How's your book coming?"

"I asked you first."

"I asked you last."

Hermione looked at him, her lips pursed together for a moment before she decided to cave. "It's going well. Once I get though the worst of it - it'll be complete."

"The worst of it being the war?" he questioned, knowing the answer was yes as he placed his hands on her hips. "Is that why I found the sleeping draught out on the counter this morning?"

She nodded, not a bit ashamed. "No sense in reliving it in my sleep if I don't have to."

"Fair point," Draco replied.

Hermione gave him a slow, lingering kiss. "So tell me. How was your day," she whispered.

He sighed. "It was fine until I saw Ginny. That redheaded temper of hers is seriously going to be the death of Potter. He's ready to strangle her. Today half the office could hear her shouting in his office at how tired she is of him siding with you when I came back from lunch. I threw up a silencing charm and then scared the shit out of all the secretaries who didn't have the good sense to do the same."

She dropped her forehead to his shoulder and felt him wrap his arms around her as Hermione sighed. "I'm not apologizing to her," Hermione said.

"Of course you're not!" Draco exclaimed. "She's the one who is wrong. Not you. You didn't say anything."

"I refuse to apologize to another bloody Weasley for something I didn't do," Hermione bitterly spat as she hugged herself against Draco's body. "I still can't believe she said what she said."

Draco perched his chin on top of her head. "I can't believe you let her get away with what she said."

"She disapparated before I could do anything."

"And if she hadn't?"

He felt her shrug. "Honestly, I don't know - and that's what scares me the most."

* * *

><p>It was a relatively quiet evening in the Granger house. Claire hadn't said much about anything that wasn't work related at dinner, and she was relatively neutral about Richard's declaration that it would be a movie night, knowing he was trying to cheer her up. She mustered up a smile for him as he picked out one of her favorites, <em>My Fair Lady<em>, and popped it into the DVD player. Jean brought two bowls of popcorn - one for her that was unbuttered and lightly salted and one for Richard and Claire, which had been drenched in both. Handing the two of them a wad of napkins, Jean curled up on one end of the couch while Claire snuggled up against Richard as the movie began to play.

Jean reached for the blanket draped over the back of the couch and placed it on top of her, sharing it with Claire as her feet rested next to her. Giving her ankle a loving pat, she looked over at Claire and noticed she wasn't paying much attention to the movie, and instead was quietly eating popcorn with glassy eyes. "Claire," she said quietly. "Are you alright."

"I'm fine," Claire said.

Richard looked over at his wife, who was nodding for him to look down at Claire. He too, saw her glassy gaze, and pulled the bowl of popcorn away and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. "Claire Bear," he said, concerned as she suddenly tucked her face into his side, her tears soaking through his pajama shirt. "Claire honey," Richard said, his arms wrapping around her as Jean shifted closer, rubbing her back as Claire's sobs shook through her body.

Claire eventually moved her face, wiping her nose on her sleeve as Jean handed her some tissues with a look. "Sorry," she mumbled, taking some tissues to blow her nose. "I'm just so bloody mad at her!" she cried. "How could she get married without me! How could she have something that big happen to her and not include me! She talked about how Mum was selfish all the time and didn't care about us - but what _she_ did was selfish! And now she's having a baby!"

She threw her face back into her grandfather's chest and soaked another spot with her tears. "Claire," Richard said. "Your sister and James had their reasons. Scorpius is too little to remember, but you and Anya went through a lot when your mum died, and you both dealt with - and continue to deal with it - it in your own ways."

Claire sat up and wiped her nose on the tissue as tears streamed down her cheeks. "The moment she left Hogwarts, its like she left all of us for James. She lives in the city, she became a famous ballerina, she has this perfect life - except she doesn't want anyone to know about it!"

"Claire," Jean interjected. "You're at boarding school nine months out of the year, and I know for a fact your sister made it a point to clear her schedule in the summer when she could. She couldn't put her life on hold to wait for you to be done with school."

"It doesn't matter," Claire cried as she sat up. "Anya's married now with a baby on the way. I'm going to school next week with Scorp so Dad and Hermione can have their little family of four back until Christmas."

"Now you listen here," Richard said, a little bit stern. "Your father and Hermione - along with Leo and Katie - miss you terribly when you're gone. They both cry when you two leave and they're practically bouncing off the walls when they know you're almost ready to be home."

She looked down, playing with the damp tissue in her hands as she crossed her legs underneath her. She sniffled again and sighed in defeat. "I feel left out," she said. "I never used to feel left out, because I always had Anya. She's the only other person that knows what I know, and feels what I feel, but now she has James for all of that. She doesn't need me anymore. She hasn't needed me in forever, but I feel like I need her all the time and now she's just going to be too busy."

"You aren't half as bright as I gave you credit for if you think that."

Everyone turned, seeing Anya standing behind them, looking at her sister like she was an idiot with tears in her eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

She dropped her purse on the floor. "James has gone over to talk to his mother. Can't imagine it's going well, but he's giving it a try anyway. I heard you were staying here tonight, and I thought I'd come to see if I might have better luck."

Jean made room for her to sit next to Claire on the couch. Sitting down, Anya reached over and grabbed Claire's hand as she looked away, leaning against Richard's shoulder. "You're crazy if you think I don't need you. I'm having a baby for goodness sakes! What makes you think I wouldn't need my sister!"

Claire snorted in disbelief. "What on earth could I possibly do."

"Babysit for starters," Anya replied. "Unless you think Katie can do a better job."

"She's probably asked Hermione to take her to the library so she can check out books all about babies," Claire said with a laugh as she looked down at her hands. "She might be better at it."

Anya shook her head as she and their grandparents laughed. "She's barely twenty five pounds. At the rate Katie's growing, my kid will weigh more than Katie when it's two." She shifted closer to her sister and linked her arm with a reluctant Claire. "I sent you letters all the time when I was dancing, when you were at school. You're the one that's horrible about sending them back. You can't expect me to do all the work, you know."

Sniffling some more, Claire hung her head, knowing Anya was right. "I just can't believe you didn't want me at your wedding."

"I did want you at my wedding!" Anya exclaimed. "I wanted all of you there - I really did! I just…the more I thought about it, and the more James and I talked about it, it just made sense for it to be the two of us."

"But it wasn't just the two of you," Claire snarked. "Teddy was there. Teddy was there, but _I_ wasn't allowed to be there."

"And I'm sorry about that," Anya said. "I truly am. And I know it's hard for you to understand right now but you will someday, I truly believe that."

Jean nodded. "I agree with your sister," she said, looking at Claire. "You sister didn't do it maliciously, and one day, you will understand."

"Please stop being mad at me," Anya begged. "Please? I can hardly stand it, and I don't want you going off to school with us not speaking."

Claire finally looked at Anya and held her breath for a moment. "I guess."

"Don't toy with me, Claire Elizabeth," Anya warned in her mothering voice. "My hormones are completely mental right now and -" she was cut off when her sister launched herself at her, hugging her tight. Anya returned the hug, the two sisters silently crying happy tears as their standoff was over.

Their tears quickly turned to laughter as they let go, laughing at how silly they had been. Claire looked at her sister, then down at her small belly. "I can't believe you're having a baby."

"I can't believe how fat I'm getting," Anya replied with a laugh.

"You're hardly getting fat," Jean reassured Anya. "It's obviously all in your stomach. Now why don't you take your sister back to your place tonight. Have a slumber party, catch up a bit."

Anya enthusiastically agreed with a nod, as Claire looked over at Jean and Richard. "You sure you wouldn't mind?" Claire asked.

"Oh, I guess we could do movie night another night," Richard said, feigning a sigh as he pretended to look put out.

Claire sat up and kissed his cheek. "You're the best, Grandpa!"

"Of course I am. Now go get your stuff. I don't want you girls getting back to the city too late. I'm assuming you drove," he said, looking at Anya who nodded. "I came in through the garage door."

"Sit here and visit with your grandmother," he instructed. "I'll go give your car a once over. Make sure there's enough air in the tires, oil in the engine, things like that."

"Grandpa, you needn't do that every time I come by!" she called out to him.

"Yes I do!" his voice carried as he was already down the hall.

Jean shook her head as she leaned back against the couch. "He's never going to stop, sweetheart. Don't waist your breath."

Anya leaned back as well, leaning against Jean as her grandmother wrapped an arm around her. She rubbed her stomach unconsciously as she sighed. "How do you think it's going with James and his mother?"

Anya sighed. "Honestly? It's probably a shit show."

"Now Anya, you know I don't approve of such language," Jean said with a light laugh.

"She's mad at me for apparently brain washing her son into doing whatever I want," Anya spat. "And even if she does forgive me, I may never forgive her for what she said to Hermione. I don't care how mad she was. That was rude and completely out of line." She moved her other hand protectively to her stomach and sighed. "I know its bothering James…his mother being ridiculous. But he's just as stubborn as she is…so I don't really know what's going to happen."

Jean kissed Anya's temple and hugged her as Anya rested her head on Jean's shoulder. "Everything will work out."

"Really? Everything will work out? Has that been your experience when dealing with a Weasley?" Anya asked with a snort.

"Be careful there, dear," Jean said. "That's your husband's mother you're speaking about."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "Thank god there's more Potter in my husband than Weasley. God knows I never would have married him otherwise."

* * *

><p>"Do you want another one?"<p>

James looked over at Teddy and his father, the three of them sitting up at the bar in _The Leaky Cauldron_. The three of them had attempted to talk some sense into Ginny, and failed miserably. James finished up his beer, frustrated at his mother's impossible stubborn streak. "I'm good," he said. "Anya will kill me if I come home drunk."

Teddy laughed, signaling the bar patron for another. "Victoire is out of town until next week. I'm taking advantage of this while I can. You can crash at my place tonight if you want, Dad."

Harry nodded, fiddling with his glass. Lily was at the Burrow this evening, on purpose as he didn't want her to see what he had hoped wouldn't happen, but did anyway. She was worse than argumentative - she was completely silent. Sitting on the couch with her arms against her chest, not looking at anyone but a blank spot on the wall. "You know, son," he said, looking down at James. "You've caused me a hell of a lot of problems with all this."

James shrugged. "You've caused me a hell of a lot of problems being 'The Chosen One.' I guess we're even now."

Harry laughed. "Well played, son."

"You know, Anya doesn't even want an apology," James said as he tossed a few galleons on the countertop for the drinks. "Mum completely insulted her and all Anya can think about is how she hurt Aunt Hermione's feelings by demeaning her role in her life." He slipped his jacket off of back of the barstool and slid his arms in. "All she wants is for Mum to apologize to Aunt Hermione."

Harry couldn't agree more. She insulted his sister, and he wasn't going to stand for it. When he and Hermione divorced, Harry was a neutral party when around Ron and his family - once he got his punch in. He never said a disparaging word about him, but always defended Hermione when need be. He wanted an apology out of his wife to Hermione just as much as James. "What do you want?" Harry asked.

James fixed the collar on his coat. "From Mum?"

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"If she plans on seeing this grandchild, she better apologize to Hermione. If she plans on seeing me speak to her ever again, she better apologize to my wife." He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at Teddy and his father. "And if you two plan on getting drunk, you probably ought to do it back in Teddy's apartment. I don't see a drunk Minister of Magic making any decent headlines in tomorrow's _Daily Prophet_, do you?"

Teddy took a drink of his new glass of beer and toasted James. "That all really depends on where we find ourselves, James. The possibilities are endless."

"In that case," James said, walking over to his dad to give him a hug. "When Teddy says the possibilities are endless, he usually means a strip club," he whispered in his dad's ear.

"Right," Harry replied with a laugh. "Thanks for the warning."

"You're welcome - I had to learn the hard way."

Teddy rolled his eyes. "Don't listen to him, Dad. He thoroughly enjoyed it."

"I was thoroughly terrified," James said. "I think I was in there most of the time with my hands clapped over my eyes."

"This is true," Teddy said with a laugh. "I was trying to give him a good final night out as a free man, and how does he thank me? By insulting beautiful, topless women by keeping his hands over his eyes."

Harry shook his head at his two sons, not shocked at all by the story he just heard. If he were being honest, he probably would have done just as James had done. "Finish that up," he instructed Teddy. "I'm sure there's fire whiskey in your place."

"It would be a shame if there wasn't," Teddy replied with a grin, knowing full well that there would never be a day where his flat was without fire whiskey.

"I'll catch up with you tomorrow," James said to his father.

"I'll come by," Harry offered.

James nodded. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he gave Teddy a nod and headed out of the pub, walking out through the entrance that lead him out into Muggle London. The condo was several blocks away, but James didn't mind the walk. Better he get his head sorted now before he was back home with Anya. He assumed - he always assumed - his mother would take the news of their secret marriage poorly. After all, the Weasley side of the family liked to make a production about everything. When his cousin Roxanne got married, James could hardly think before the day was finally over - the nine months of chaos that went into planning the event nearly drove the bride mad herself - and James remembered looking over at Anya in bed later that night, both of them swearing that their wedding would never be like the production they barely survived.

Two weeks before they turned twenty-one, James received Draco's blessing to ask Anya to marry him, as soon as he figured out when the right time was. He didn't plan on doing it almost a week later. It just sort of happened. Anya was home with a horrible head cold, driving James crazy because when she was sick, she acted like she didn't want anyone around her - not even James. He, however, was a horrible listener when it came to his sick girlfriend, and ignored her pleas as he crawled into bed, dragging her and her snotty nose towards him.

"_I'm gross!" Anya whined. "Just go away!" _

"_I'm not going away," he said. "I'm going to cuddle with my gross, snotty girlfriend against her will because I'm convinced it will make her feel better." _

_Anya said nothing, secretly glad that James ignored her pleas as she hugged the arm he had wrapped around her upper chest. "You're impossible sometimes," she mumbled instead. _

_James kissed the back of her neck, exposed as her long locks were tied up in a messy bun. "You're impossible all the time," he said._

"_If I'm so impossible," Anya said with a pout. "Then why do you stay?" _

"_Because I'm a glutton for punishment," James teased, hugging her tight. _

_Anya reached for a tissue, her nose sounding like a fog horn for a few moments before she rolled over in his embrace, her red nose and watery eyes staring at him. "You probably deserve better." _

_He grinned. "Maybe. But it's you I want." He kissed her, knowing she would more than likely shove him away but he didn't care. "Even when you're gross and sickly." _

_She shook her head at him. "You're ridiculous, James Potter." _

"_Get used to it," he said, laughing. "Because I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you." _

"_Is that so?" she asked, her pointed red nose sticking up in the air. "And what makes you say that?" _

"_Because I want to marry you." _

_Anya bolted upright, staring at James as he lay on his back in their bed. "Are you joking?" she asked._

"_No." _

"_You're serious?" _

"_Yes." _

_She balled up her fist and gave him a punch on the shoulder, which wasn't really all that hard but James figured he'd groan anyway. "What in the bloody hell was that for?" _

_She hit him again. "I'm sick for a week and this is how you choose to tell me? When I look like this?" _

"_Does it really matter what you look like?" James asked. "I want to marry you regardless." _

"_That's an awful way to propose to a girl," Anya said. _

"_Would you like me to do it again?" _

"_Yes, as a matter of fact I would!" she exclaimed. _

_James laughed. "Ok." _

"_And there better be one hell of a ring," Anya said, moving to straddle his waist, as she was wearing a pair of knickers and one of James' button up shirts that she was practically swimming in. _

"_Are you going to say yes?" James asked, reaching up to his shirt she was wearing, slowly unbuttoning it from the top down._

_She nodded, biting her lips together as he sat up enough to kiss her, pulling her back down with him. _

They were married a month and a half after their 'official' engagement, which included an obscene amount of rose petals and a very large, princess cut diamond ring with smaller diamonds embedded into the platinum band. The wizarding press had been relentless with the two of them since his dad had been appointed as the new Minister of Magic, and it was their constant intrusions that had kept them both in muggle London. Anya rarely had a need to go into Diagon Alley, and James was only visible when working. The son of 'The Chosen One' dating the daughter of a reformed Death Eater already attracted enough attention - Harry becoming the new Minister of Magic managed to multiply it by a thousand.

The desire to elope may have been started by Anya and her issues with her late mother, but the more James thought about how it would never be just about the two of them unless they eloped, it didn't take much convincing. And there was something about getting married in his parents' back yard, just like they used to when they were little, that the two of them found incredibly endearing - which only made it more special for them.

And at the end of the day - that was all that mattered to either one of them.

When he unlocked the door to the condo, he heard the faint sound of giggling coming from their bedroom. Tossing his jacket on the couch, he made his way towards the back of the home they shared, finding his wife and his sister-in-law sitting on the bed, each of them with identical boxes, apparently laughing and crying as they exchanged letters written to them by Astoria. He leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, at least someone was successful this evening."

Anya looked up at James and smiled. "Didn't go well?"

"Dad's spending the night at Teddy's," James replied. "That's how well it went."

Her shoulders dropped. Claire put down the letter she had in her hand, the one written to Anya to open the day she was to be married, and climbed out of bed. She walked over to James and gave him a hug, which he accepted, kissing the top of her head in a brotherly fashion as he returned her hug. "Did you know that Mum always hoped you'd marry YaYa?"

James laughed, nodding as he looked down at Claire. "Yes - which was a rather pleasant surprise."

"I'm still mad you invited Teddy and not me," she said with a pout.

"Well, if we didn't think we would have had to cast an unforgivable curse on you to keep your big mouth shut, we would have," James teased. "You're the worst secret keeper on the planet, Claire."

She made a face. "I would have kept this one. I think."

James and Anya both laughed as James hugged Claire again. He let her go and walked over to Anya, bending down as she lifted her chin to give him a kiss, smiling as he placed a hand on her stomach. "We missed you today."

"I missed you too - both of you," he said, kissing her again. "I'm going to go take a shower, and kip out in the spare bedroom."

"I can sleep in the spare bedroom," Claire said. "That's just silly for you to do that."

He shook his head. "You two clearly have some catching up to do. I'll survive for one night."

Claire grinned as Anya reached for his hand. "You're sure?" she asked.

"Positive," James replied.

* * *

><p>Showered and pajama clad, James tossed and turned in the spare bedroom for a few hours, the whispers and the giggles from his bedroom dying down a while ago. He kept thinking about his mother, which prevented him from sleeping. He also didn't like to sleep away from his wife, not having to do so since his away auror camp training. Sighing, he flipped over from his back to his stomach before the light was flipped on.<p>

"Merlin - you two are bloody pathetic," he heard Claire's tired voice from the doorway. "Get up - she can't sleep either."

James rolled over. "Huh?"

"Get up," she repeated, holding her pillow under her arm. "You two can't sleep and I _want_ to sleep. Now go. I'm expecting pancakes tomorrow and lack of sleep will be no excuse."

He dragged a hand over his tired face as Claire shut the light back off, changing places with him. She flopped down on the bed as he walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him as he shuffled into his bedroom, where Anya was curled up on his side of the bed, her face buried into his pillow. He crawled in on her side, gently pulling her towards him. She rolled over and snaked an arm around his waist, nuzzling her face into his bare chest. "Where's Claire?" she mumbled.

"Spare bedroom," he mumbled. "She said you couldn't sleep."

"I don't like sleeping without you," she mumbled.

James hugged his wife close, inhaling the citrus scent of her shampoo. "Me neither. Claire wants pancakes tomorrow for breakfast."

Anya yawned. "That sounds good. Looks like you're on pancake duty tomorrow."

He rubbed a hand on her small belly as a laugh slipped away from his lips. "Looks like it."


	28. Chapter 28

**_Again...would just like to reiterate/apologize for any confusion with previous errors - D/H are not married, are still not married in this chapter - but I really think you'll like what I have in store as we near the end._**

* * *

><p>Harry came home the next morning, grateful for the stash of pepper-up potion Teddy kept in his bathroom cabinet. He assumed Teddy's wild streak came from Tonks, because Remus always seemed to be the more sensible of the two. Then again, Remus was one of the original marauders, so maybe he got it from both of them. Stifling a yawn with his hand, Harry came in through the backdoor, finding his wife in the kitchen with red-rimmed eyes, making breakfast.<p>

"You didn't come home last night," she said to him, her voice wavering ever so slightly.

"Nice to see you noticed," was Harry's short reply. He tossed his jacket on the back of a kitchen chair and braced his hands on top of it, staring at her. "What's got you all out of sorts now?"

Ginny sniffled. "You didn't come home last night."

"You already said that."

She spun around on her heel, spatula in her hand. "So what, now you're going to punish me when I don't agree with you by not sleeping here?"

Harry stared at his wife, sympathetic to the fact she was upset but his heels were dug in deep regarding her recent attitude. "When I left last night with the boys, we went to grab a drink. James left after two to go back home to check on his _wife_," he said with emphasis, "while Teddy and I went back to his place, where I wound up passing out on the couch." He let go of the back of the chair, shoving his hands into his pockets as he stared at his wife. "You know, Teddy said something last night that I hadn't really thought of until…well, until he said it."

"Which was?"

"Teddy said he wasn't so much mad at you because you insulted Anya and your son by insinuating that she has some sort of mind control over him," Harry said. "Last night, he said to me that he didn't understand how you could insult Hermione's place in Anya's life, how you could insinuate that Hermione wasn't any more of a mother to Anya than you are to him."

Ginny's jaw dropped slightly as she went to speak a few times, her voice squeaking before she found her words. "That's hardly the same, Harry!" she finally exclaimed. "I've been in that boy's life since he was born! He's lived with you since the war ended -"

"But you were in school that final year," Harry countered. "You didn't move in with us until he was at least one and a half, almost two."

"He has _always_ called me 'Mum.' Always," Ginny fiercely whispered.

"And Hermione has _always_ been there for Malfoy's kids. She didn't just show up one day out of the blue and become his girlfriend!"

Ginny spun back on her heel and went back to the bacon she was frying in the pan and the eggs in the skillet. "Those two completely took it upon themselves to make an adult decision by themselves, without including us, and while they were telling us and rationalizing their completely irrational arguments, Hermione just sat there! She didn't even look mad! And you - you bloody knew this entire time and said _nothing_!" She summoned two dishes from the cabinet and rapidly placed the eggs and bacon on the plate, nearly missing one entirely, before they floated over to the kitchen table. She snatched silverware from the drawer, slamming it shut an all but throwing the forks onto the table as she hastily sat down. Harry was still standing, watching as she stabbed a few pieces of eggs and shoved them into her mouth. "I didn't poison it," she spat, motioning for him to sit.

Harry took a seat at the table and picked up his fork, taking a bite of his eggs. "Look. Right after my very first meeting with the British Prime Minister, one of his staffers mentioned to one of mine that he saw a James Potter and an Anya Malfoy in the paper under the marriage certificate publications, which is something they do in Muggle papers, and when the staffer relayed it to me, I laughed at him and said that was impossible. That I would know if my son was married."

"And how, exactly did that slip your mind?" Ginny asked.

"Al falling from his broom, breaking his legs and sustaining a concussion during the quidditch finals three hours later," Harry said rather pointedly. "I was too busy taking care of you, and when he was all healed and better, there were other fires at the Ministry I had to put out. Again, it wasn't something I put a lot of thought into."

Ginny sighed as she chewed on a piece of bacon. "And you approve of the two of them eloping, and keeping us in the dark."

"I've been the center of attention since my first day at Hogwarts," Harry vexed. "I went from 'The Boy Who Lived' to 'The Chosen One' to defeating Voldemort. I had my parents' house repaired here in Godric's Hollow because muggles and wizards live here together, unassuming of who is what, which keeps the nosy ones away." He stabbed his fork into a few bites of eggs and shoveled them into his mouth. "Our wedding felt like a year long event. All I wanted to do when it was over was sleep for a week. I can see where the two of them wanted to avoid…your family's inability to do anything on a small scale."

She glared at her husband, pointing her fork at him. "Excuse me? My family?"

"Well I don't have any that's alive, so yes, your family," Harry ruefully replied.

"You've been a part of _my_ family since you were eleven, so shut it," Ginny snapped. "They're just as much yours as mine. My mother is just as good as yours."

"But Hermione isn't to Anya." Harry stated. "Because that's basically what you told her."

Ginny went to speak, but again, she found herself without words.

Harry shook his head, popping the last of his eggs into his mouth. He picked up his empty plate and took it to the sink, and placed the pans Ginny used for breakfast into the sink as well. Walking back over to his wife, he hugged her from behind, placing a kiss on her neck. "I love you," he whispered in her ear. "And I know you're just like your mother - _completely_ irrational - when it comes to being left out of things regarding the children. But you're wrong about this. You're wrong about Anya - who your son has loved practically his entire life, and you're wrong about your best friend. You need to fix this, and you need to fix it now."

She nodded ever so slightly, a tear escaping her eye as it slowly slid down her cheek.

* * *

><p>"I never got to thank you, you know, for not freaking out on us at Katie's party," Anya said as she and her father sat in a little French bistro cafe, a few blocks away from the Ministry. She picked away the soft parts of her baguette, enjoying a world were carbs weren't contraband as she grazed it with a swipe of apple butter.<p>

Draco sat back in his chair, holding his cup of coffee as he watched his daughter eat. He wouldn't dare tell her she appeared to be eating for two, but he was certainly enjoying the show. "All I ever want is for you to be happy - that goes for all of you children," he said. "I don't like that you kept it a secret, but I can respect the decision."

Anya smiled gratefully at her father. "That means a lot to me, Daddy. It really does."

"Besides - now you're officially James' problem. Now I only have to be a bystander to the chaos that is Anya Malfoy," he joked, jumping slightly as his daughter kicked him under the table."

"Potter," she corrected with a smirk.

"Ugh - you didn't have to take his last name," Draco teased, feigning disgust as he put his coffee on the table.

His daughter giggled, just like she used to when she was a little girl, chomping on another piece of apple buttered bred. "You know, you should speak better about your son-in-law. He's a pretty good guy, you know."

"With the patience of a saint, if he married you," Draco mocked.

She kicked her dad again. "Be nice to me!" she exclaimed, a mouthful of bread. "I'm fat and pregnant!"

"You're beautiful and pregnant," Draco corrected. "Now, do you have plans for the rest of your afternoon?"

Anya shook her head. She never had plans, though she did plan on watching a ton of recorded do-it-yourself shows she'd become obsessed with on the television in recent weeks. James had already threatened to cancel their cable subscription that morning when he noticed how many hardware bags were in the spare bedroom, anticipating a disaster. She, however, reminded him that she was a witch, and he was a wizard, and so she could fix whatever she managed to botch. She was determined, however, to decorate the nursery the muggle way. It would give her something to do with her never-ending bouts of spare time.

"I told Potter I was taking the afternoon off," Draco continued. "I thought maybe you and I could go pick out some baby furniture."

Her eyes went wide. "Really? I mean, it certainly isn't necessary of course - James and I can certainly afford it -"

He shook his head, cutting her off. "Your Nana Cissa bought your mother and I your nursery furniture, and that's one of the very, very few traditions from my family that I wish to do for you."

Anya gave her father a sympathetic smile. His father may be in Azkaban for that stunt he pulled years ago at her birthday party, sharing a cell with her crazy aunt, but they shouldn't have expected anything less after threatening a member of the so called 'Golden Trio.' Anya felt sorry for her father, knowing the only parent he truly cared about died too young, and that her father always did his best to make sure the relationships he had with his children were nothing like the one he had with his father. "I do wish Nana Cissa was still around," she said, reaching across the table for her father's hand. Smiling as he took it, she gave it a squeeze. "She was always the best at playing dress up and tea party."

Draco laughed, his thumb brushing against her knuckles. "And here all this time I thought I was the best at it."

"You were the best sport about it," Anya said, remembering fondly all the times when it was just the two of them, and how he did whatever she asked. "But Nana Cissa used to let me play with all of her jewels. I never told Claire, of course, because she was too sick by the time Claire was into tea parties and dress up, but when Grandfather was holed up in his study, she would sneak me into their bedroom and she would let me try on everything."

"She was quite fond of you," Draco confessed.

"Well, I was quite fond of her as well," Anya replied. She let go of her father's hand and pulled the napkin out of her lap and plopped it on the table. "You're certain I get the entire afternoon with you?"

Draco nodded, giving her a simple nod. "I'm all yours, YaYa. If you'd rather do baby furniture another day, we can do something else. It's entirely up to you, sweetheart."

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as Draco laughed. It was simply astounding at how much she looked like Astoria. Her features might have been a little bit softer, her smiles and her eyes a bit brighter, but the way she sat and crossed her legs, the way she held the handle of her coffee cup, and the way she pulled her hair half back so that it was off of her face - there were moments when Draco had to keep himself from calling her Astoria - because the resemblance was just that close.

"Oh, I definitely want baby furniture," Anya said. "But can we get ice cream too? Oh - and maybe a crepe from that dodgy little stand near St. Mungo's? Because that sounds about amazing right now."

Draco stood up from his chair, pushing it in and grabbing his suit jacket as he laughed. Anya stood up as well, her brown wedge boots zipped up over her skinny jeans as she wore a long, cream-colored sweater. "I cannot even believe you're walking around in those ridiculous shoes," he said, placing a hand on her back as they walked out of the restaurant.

"James says I have another month left before I'm banished to only wearing flats," she said quite sadly. "Besides, these wedges are actually quite comfortable."

Draco chuckled. "I'll have to just take your word on that, sweetheart."

He smiled as she linked her arm with his as they walked down the Muggle streets of London. He could see her point, enjoying the relative amount of anonymity as they passed others on the streets. It'd been twenty-five years since the war ended, but it didn't stop the stares and sneers in the wizarding world. The Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley, oddly enough, had bearded dragons, and that's where he assumed Hermione was right now with the three younger children. Hermione asked him if he wanted to go, but like most times, he opted out of family adventures to Diagon Alley. They hadn't explained much of his past to the younger kids, the boys knowing only what they needed to know, but he didn't have the heart yet to explain to his youngest why people stared at Daddy.

"Dad?"

"Yes sweetheart."

"Why haven't you married Hermione yet?" Anya asked. "I mean, you love her, right?"

They stopped in front of an ice cream shop, and Draco looked at his daughter. "Of course I love her," he said quickly, as if he had something to prove. "I don't know what I would ever do without her."

"So why aren't you married?"

Draco shrugged. "Honestly, at this point, it's just a piece of paper. She's my partner in everything. We didn't get married when we found out she was pregnant with Leo because it was so soon after your mother died, and we felt like everything was just being rushed and so we decided to make sure we were going to work before we talked about marriage. But then Leo was born and before we knew it, you were graduating and starting your ballet career and then Katie came along and there's still no real guarantee that your sister is going to survive to see eighteen with her attitude because she's made it through her teenage years so far by the skin of her teeth and…" he inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly. "You'll see soon enough, sweetheart. Raising children makes life go by in a blur. You don't remember days - your life is suddenly notated by moments like loosing teeth and first days of school, and the fleeting thoughts in between are just that - fleeting."

Anya sighed, looking up at her father. "Well, I think you should get married. If for no other reason than Katie will stop asking me why you aren't married."

"Katie's asking you?"

"Only since she found those old photo albums at Grandma's house from when Grandma and Grandpa got married in Greece," Anya replied. "And then she saw my wedding pictures, and wanted to know why you and Hermione don't have wedding pictures."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm blaming you for this."

"Blame yourself," Anya replied with a laugh. "You're the one that's been putting it off."

"Hey - it's not like Hermione's been inquiring about it," Draco said defensively, opening the door to the ice cream shop.

Anya mimicked her father's eye roll. "Of course she hasn't inquired about it. We aren't going to tell the men we're with to propose. You're supposed to figure out that's what we want on your own. For all you know she's spent the last ten years waiting for you to pluck up the nerve to ask. And if that's the case - you're the world's biggest schmuck."

Her words hit a nerve. Was Hermione waiting for him to ask all this time? Was he wrong in assuming that she was content with the way things are? Draco had his reasons, his own personal reasons for not proposing, and while they may have been viewed as selfish, he viewed them as protective. He quickly snapped out of it and gave his daughter a look. "Keep that talk up and you aren't getting ice cream," he said with a look.

"Your grandchild wants me to eat ice cream," she said. "And I _know_ you won't deny your first grandchild ice cream."

"That's low," Draco said with a laugh.

"But effective," Anya said with a smirk. "After all, it wasn't just my last name that got me into Slytherin."

* * *

><p>The boys had been enamored with their bearded dragons ever since they got home. Hermione let them set up their tanks for the most part - making sure Scorpius paid extra attention so that he would know what to do when he took his bearded dragon - named Spike - back to school. He couldn't wait to show all of his friends in Slytherin house his new pet. Leo let Katie help set up his tank, spreading out the wood chips in the bottom of the tank and placing in a big log for her to sit on. His bearded dragon was a girl, and he had decided to name it Gertrude. Hermione smiled when he announced it, letting him know she admired his unusual name choice for his new pet.<p>

"It's an unusual pet," he replied as Katie handed him Gertrude's food bowl, full of freshly chopped vegetables.

Hermione agreed, perching herself on the edge of Leo's bed. Katie walked over to her mother and crawled up into her lap. "Are you sure you don't want a pet?" she asked her youngest. She offered Katie the chance to get a pet, as the boys were getting one, but she shook her head no, just as she did in the menagerie. "I don't need a pet yet," she said. "Besides, I'm going to be very busy with pre-school, Mummy. And helping YaYa with the baby. I'll get a pet when I'm not so busy."

"Ok," she said, humoring her daughter's serious tone. She noticed Katie's yawn and agreed with her daughter's sentiment. "Scorp!" she called out towards the room across the hall. His towhead appeared promptly and looked at Hermione. "I think Miss Katie and I are going to go take a nap. Will you two be good for a little bit?"

"Can we play outside?" Scorpius asked.

"If you stay in the backyard," Hermione replied.

"Can we fly our brooms?"

"Not without your father home," she said.

"Can we take Spike and Gertrude outside?" Leo asked.

Hermione smiled. "I think it's best you let them acclimate to their new home for now."

"Mum?"

"Yes Scorp?"

"Will Dad be home soon?"

She nodded. "Probably in an hour or so. He's spending some time with your sister today."

He frowned for a moment. "Well, when Dad gets home, can we fly our brooms then?"

Hermione stood up and placed Katie on her hip, as tucked her tired head on her mother's shoulder. "I'm sure you wouldn't have to twist his arm too much," she said with a laugh. She carried Katie downstairs as the boys ran off in front of her. She stood in the kitchen, staring out the window into the backyard for a few minutes to make sure the boys were settled and the brooms stayed inside the shed. She rubbed soothing circles on her daughter's back, knowing she was halfway asleep as her body felt heavier. She buried her nose into her daughter's small shoulder and inhaled the sweet smell of her lavender bath soap.

"Mummy, you're sniffing me again," Katie mumbled.

"That's because it makes Mummy happy," she quietly whispered, kissing her cheek. "Mummy likes the way you smell."

She giggled, hugging her arms around Hermione's neck tighter. "I like the way you smell, Mummy. You smell like…ice cream."

"Vanilla," Hermione said as she walked through the house with her. "Mummy uses a vanilla perfume that Daddy gets her every year for Christmas."

"Tell Daddy I want some too," Katie's little voice breathlessly said through a yawn. "So I can smell like Mummy. Can we take a nap now?"

Hermione nodded, as she walked through the house. "Your room or mine?" she asked.

"Yours," Katie said through a yawn.

She figured Katie would pick her and Draco's bedroom. They eventually moved into the master suite of the house a few months before Leo was born, after having the entire room renovated and redecorated. Draco didn't want the room to remind the girls that it was once his and Astoria's room, and Hermione was sensitive to this. She would have been perfectly fine staying in the room they had been using, but Draco missed his master bath and was tired of going back and forth between rooms when he needed clothes.

As Hermione walked past the front door, headed for the stairs, she noticed a familiar flash of red through the frosted glass of the front door. As the person at the door started their retreat, Hermione quickly opened the door. "Ginny?"

Ginny turned around, her head hanging, as she stood on the steps of their porch.

"How long have you been out here?" Hermione asked.

"A half hour, maybe?" Ginny mumbled.

She shifted Katie slightly on her hip and stared at her friend, doing her best to keep her emotions in check. "And were you ever going to knock?"

Ginny had the decency to look ashamed. "I don't know." She eventually looked up at Hermione and sighed. "You and I both know I'm rubbish with apologies."

"Too bad," Hermione snapped. "You aren't getting out of this, Ginny, and if you aren't here to apologize to me, then you can leave, and come back when you're ready."

Ginny's shoulders dropped. "Hermione…I just -"

"Just nothing!" Hermione quietly hissed. "For you of all people to tell me that I couldn't possibly care for _your _son or Anya like a mother is just…it's just…reprehensible!"

"I know that now," Ginny said with a pleading voice. "I was just so mad I let my temper get the best of me and -"

Hermione cut her off. "We aren't kids anymore, Ginny. You can't blame your temper on everything. Those two came to us terrified to tell us what they'd done and your reaction only cemented their desire and reasoning to keep their marriage a secret. You think because I don't scream and shout that I'm not upset - but guess what - not everyone has to scream and shout for everyone else to realize that they're upset, or concerned, or trying to understand."

"I know, and Hermione believe me I know that now and I'm trying to fix it!" Ginny quickly exclaimed.

"Well, you aren't fixing things with me until you fix things with your son - and my daughter," Hermione demanded. "They have an equal partnership - and for you to accuse Anya of masterminding this plan and keeping your son from making his own decisions was just rude. If you knew your son at all you'd know he has a brain and can think for himself!"

Ginny stepped down to the bottom step of the mansion, looking down at the ground. "I will speak to Anya and apologize, I promise."

"Good," Hermione snapped. "And just so you know, when you do, things won't be going back to normal any time soon. You've been my best and only girl friend for as long as I can remember, and believe me when I say that I cannot stand being mad at you - but I'm not really sure how to forgive you just yet, and that's something you're just going to have to deal with."

Nodding quickly, Ginny's cheeks turned red, a mixture of defeat and embarrassment as seeking Hermione's forgiveness was going to be harder than she thought. "I…I can accept that," she finally spoke.

"You don't really have a choice," Hermione replied, her voice losing its edge. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a nap to take with my daughter."

She didn't give Ginny the chance to say goodbye, mainly because her nerves were nearly shot. Hermione didn't realize how mad she was until she saw Ginny standing there, as if a simple _I'm sorry_ was going to fix everything. As she walked up the stairs and down the hall, she gently peeled off Katie's black Mary Jane shoes and dropped them off in her bedroom before taking her down to the master bedroom. Pulling her wand from her pocket, she swished and flicked, the bed automatically turning itself down as she stepped out of her own shoes. She gently placed Katie down on her side of the bed and walked around to Draco's side, crawling in and covering them both up as she cuddle Katie close, slowly raking her fingers through Katie's beautiful curls. They weren't frizzy and out of control like hers had been growing up. Instead they were springy and clean, only looking mussed when she woke up from a night's sleep. Draco assumed her curls, much like Claire's came from his mother. Claire's were loose and wavy, much like his mothers had been, but between Hermione and his mother, genetics clearly decided to help Katie out a bit.

Hermione didn't realize how long she'd been asleep until she felt a familiar set of lips graze against hers. Humming slightly, the lips kissed her again as her eyes fluttered open. "Hey," she said, giving Draco a tired smile. She was on her back, Katie passed out next to her as half of her small body was draped across her own. "What time is it?"

"Almost five," Draco quietly replied. "She's never going to go to bed tonight, you know."

Hermione laughed. "She will. She just won't be going to bed on time is all." She rubbed Katie's back, stirring her gently out of her sleep. "Katie," she cooed. "Katie, Daddy's home."

Her eyes fluttered up much in the same way that her mother's did seconds earlier. "Daddy's home?" she mumbled, her little fists rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She saw Draco sitting on the edge of the bed and grinned. "Daddy's home!" she exclaimed, sluggishly pulling herself up. Draco helped her out a bit, picking her up and setting her on his lap, hugging her as she leaned against him. "Did you see the dragons?" she asked.

"I did," Draco replied. "They look very…lizard like."

"That's because they're really lizards, Daddy," Katie explained in a slightly sleepy voice.

"Thanks for clearing that up," Draco replied, his sarcasm lost on Katie though it earned him a look from Hermione. "Did you get a pet today?" he asked, almost certain he'd find another blasted cat in his house. It'd been several years since Crookshanks passed, but he swore he was still finding orange hair in the most peculiar places.

She shook her head. "I already told Mummy - I'm too busy to have a pet."

He was getting ready to question how busy her four year old schedule could be when he saw Hermione holding up a hand, telling him to let it be. "Right then," he said instead, kissing the top of her head. "Fancy anything special for dinner?"

"Macaroni and cheese."

"I could have guessed that," Hermione said with a laugh as she swung her legs over, her feet hitting the floor. "What would you like with your macaroni and cheese?"

"Just the macaroni and cheese, please," Katie replied. "And maybe some fruit. But that's all. I'm going to go play with the boys now."

Draco let her slide out of his lap and watched as she stretched her arms up over her head as she walked out of their room. He called out for Harby, who immediately made his appearance known. "Yes, Master Draco?" Harby asked.

"Keep an eye on the children for a bit, will you?" he asked, knowing he didn't need to explain himself any further.

Harby eagerly nodded. "Yes, Master Draco! Harby will make sure Master Draco and Miss Hermione are not bothered!"

"Thank you," Draco replied as the elf snapped his way out of the room as the door to the room was now shut and warded with a silencing charm. He tugged at the knot in his necktie and Hermione laughed. "What?" he said with a mischievous look in his eyes.

She shook her head. "You're feeling rather brave, with three children awake in this house."

"Hence me asking Harby for a little assistance with interference," Draco replied. He picked up Hermione's legs and swung them back into bed, and stood up, pulling his belt from his waist and shedding his pants and boxers, revealing a semi-hard on as Hermione was pulling her wrinkled blouse up and over her head. He reached over and helped her unzip the size of her pencil skirt, pulling it down her legs as she shimmied her hips slightly. Shedding his shirt, he crawled on top of Hermione as she shed her knickers, her bra the only garment remaining - thought not for long. "Come here," he whispered, his hand slipping underneath her back and pulling her up just enough for him to unsnap the clasp in the back. She lay back down and he peeled the nude lace bra away, a hand moving to palm a breast as he leaned in to kiss her.

Hermione felt him twitch against her inner thigh as his erection grew. "We're awful parents," she breathed in his ear as his mouth sucked lightly against her collarbone. "Doing this while they're awake."

Draco laughed as he felt himself twitch again, instinctively moving towards her warm and wet entrance. "We're not awful," he said, sliding into her as she gasped. "We're resourceful," he stated, his hips slowly rotating him in and out. He reveled in how she felt, clenching around him as he moved, how her fingers dug into his back when he hit a certain spot "Merlin you feel good," he confessed as his lips kissed her neck.

She lifted her hips to meet him with every thrust, her hands now dragging through his hair as she moaned. "Please!" she begged, her hips bucking a little harder.

He moved his kisses to her neck, sucking gently on a pulse point as she moaned again. "Please what?" he asked.

Hermione managed to swing enough momentum to roll them over as she sat up, the sensation of him being completely inside of her causing the nerves in her lower abdomen to tighten. Riding him, it didn't take too long to get Draco into the rhythm she wanted, bouncing on top of him as his hips began to buck quickly, causing her to gasp each time he hit her sweet spot. She grabbed her breasts, massaging and squeezing them as Draco grabbed her hips, grunting as he pulled her down hard onto him with each quick thrust.

He could tell by her face, and her short, quick gasps that she was almost there. "I love you," she panted, his hips bucking faster. "Yes…right there…oh God…oh God!"

Her release rushed around him, greasing his erection as he reached his limit. A few hard, forceful thrusts later and his hips were completely off of the bed, his heels digging into the mattress as he came, thrusting into her with each sharp stir of his orgasm. She gasped with each jerk, the sensation tingling all the way down to her toes as he finished. Once his hips found the bed again, Hermione collapsed on top of him, their sweaty torsos sticking to each other as his arms wrapped around her.

"Did you miss me today?" he asked Hermione with a smirk.

"I always miss you," Hermione replied with a laugh. "Do you want to share a shower? There's no way I'm leaving this room without one - but no funny business. We've already been up here uninterrupted for nearly…twenty minutes," she said, glancing at the clock. She gave his bare chest a playful smack as she crawled off of him, ignoring his pitiful moan as she left the bed. "Or you can just lay there," she called out to him as the shower turned on.

"You said no funny business!" Draco shouted back at her with a laugh. "You know I have no restraint when you're in the shower!" He bent down and grabbed his pants from the ground, pulling his wand from his pocket. Knowing he'd shower later tonight, he cast a couple of cleaning charms and grabbed himself a clean pair of boxers, a pair of jeans, and a regular shirt to wear for the rest of the evening. He heard Hermione's quick shower end, and popped into the bathroom as she stepped out of their glass walled shower in a big fluffy towel, her long hair twisted up off her neck and held in place with a clip. "Anya says hello, by the way, even though she just saw you yesterday."

"How was she?"

"Pregnant in ridiculous shoes," Draco replied. "We looked for baby furniture today, but she didn't find anything she was in love with."

Hermione smirked. "I guess that means you'll just have to go shopping with her again."

"Tragic, I know," Draco said with a happy sigh as Hermione walked into her closet. "She's so grown up now, Hermione. My baby is married…and having a baby…and I just…I still can't believe they did what they did but seeing her so happy…"

Returning to the bathroom in a pair of comfy, black knit pants and a thin, red long sleeved t-shirt, Hermione left her hair clipped up off of her neck and reached up, her fingers fixing Draco's mussed hair. "They're two famous children with infamous parents who haven't been afforded a lot of privacy," Hermione said. "I hate that we didn't get to see them get married, but I don't begrudge their desire to be left alone. Did you ever think you'd have a child almost completely immersed in the Muggle world?"

"No, but I certain saw it's appeal today, not being bothered with looks and whispers," Draco replied, a heavier sigh expelling from his lips. "Anya and Claire made up last night, by the way."

Hermione gave him a small smile. "I knew they would. Ginny came by earlier today, but I sent her away."

"Really?" Draco asked, surprised. "She came here?"

"She tried saying she was sorry, but she just…" Hermione took a moment, trying to figure out the best way to explain how Weasleys worked to Draco. "Weasleys are stubborn. They're stubborn, they're never wrong, and when they have to admit that they are wrong, they do it in a round about way that makes the other party apologize while they apologize for something they shouldn't apologize for instead of what they should be apologizing for."

Draco followed her out of the bathroom and out of the bedroom as they went to check on the children. "I'm not sure I'm following."

Hermione bounced down the stairs with Draco hot on her heels. "Well, Ginny was going to apologize for getting upset - but that's not why I'm angry. She has every right to be upset. I was upset. You were upset, Harry was upset - it wasn't like we were applauding their secret marriage. I'm not upset that she got angry. I'm upset because she insulted Anya, and my feelings are hurt because she implied that I lack the ability to care for Anya as a mother should, despite the fact that she is no different to Teddy as Anya is to me. I'm not letting her off the hook, Draco. She's going to apologize for making me feel like I'm less of a parent than she is, and even then I don't know if that will fix everything."

He hadn't realized how much he underestimated how upset Hermione was at Ginny until her little rant. As she headed out to the back of the house to check on the children, Draco gently reached for her hand, pulling her back. "Hey," he said, noting her flushed cheeks that were entirely from her emotions and not from their little escapade. "You know she's wrong though."

"Of course I do," Hermione quickly replied. "But it doesn't make her words hurt less. I don't look at Anya and Clare any differently than I look at Katie, and I don't look at Scorp in a different way than I do Leo. They're my children. All of them. They're ours when they're brilliant, mine when they're darling, and yours when they're bad."

Draco laughed at her definitions, knowing full way he only heard Hermione refer to the children as his when they were on her last nerve, or had done something that required a reprimand. He pulled her hand to his mouth, kissing her palm as his eyes were on her, watching her lips curl up into a smile. "I couldn't have asked for a better mother for my children," he told her with complete sincerity. "You're amazing with them. Every day."

She walked up to him until their noses were touching as Hermione looked up at him. Pecking him on the lips, she took the hand he was previously holding and gave his chest a pat. "You're not so bad yourself, you know."

"Yes, but we all know you're the favorite," he said.

"I don't know about that," Hermione said with a laugh. "There are two little boys outside dying for you to get out there so they can go flying."

He kissed her cheek and walked past her towards the back door. "Yes, well, we can't win them all now can we?"

"Use a sticking charm if you take Katie with you on your broom!" she called out to him, laughing as he gave her a mock salute to acknowledge her warning. "And be back in an hour for dinner!"

* * *

><p>James hated being trapped at work late, but there were a few cases he was working on that were hopefully nearing the beginning of the end. He already spoke with the Head of Magical Law Enforcement and his father about scaling back once Anya got to her third in a couple of months, and he also informed him that he didn't wish to be put on any cases that pulled him away from London for at least a year. His boss thought he was insane, but his request didn't shock Harry one bit. His father told him if the world had been the way it was now when he was born, he would have done the same thing.<p>

Unlocking the deadbolt, he found Anya lying on her back on the sofa, watching some show that from the few seconds he caught, appeared to people redecorating something or another. Her first few weeks home once her ballet career was over were spent watching these sorts of shows, and when he started coming home to various tools, canisters of paint, trays, and brushes, and who knows what, he was tempted to cancel the cable all together. His wife was brilliant and talented in many things…and the paint and the brushes didn't scare him so much as the power tools did. _Just wait until you see what it can do!_ he heard her exclaim in his head the day he found a power saw on the kitchen table.

"Hello, love," he said as he kicked his shoes off by the door and hung his auror robes up on the coat rack.

She smiled at him, an arm reaching out towards him as she wiggled her fingers. "I made a plate for you - it's on the stove."

"Thanks - I'll it later," he said as he walked to her. "We had food brought in around 4:30, knowing it was going to be a long day. Anya went to shift so that her back was against the couch but he stopped her, carefully crawling over her body and wedging himself between her and the couch, one arm up around the back of her neck as it propped up against the arm of the couch, his other arm cradling her stomach. He hummed and closed his eyes as Anya's fingers played with his hair. "That feels nice," he mumbled.

A quiet laugh escaped her lips. "You never cuddle on me - was your day that long?"

"That's because you usually get to me first," he mumbled, his hand softly rubbing her swollen belly. "How was your lunch date with your Dad?"

"It was good," she said, her fingers still weaving through his hair. "He wants to get our nursery furniture for us as a gift - and I couldn't say no because it has to do with his mother doing it for him and my mum…it's actually quite sweet, really."

James nodded, his chin rubbing against her collarbone as he understood what she was saying. "Did you find anything?"

"Not today," Anya replied. "But we were only at two stores. Do you want to see something?"

"Does it require me getting up?"

"No."

"Then sure."

Anya peeled up her sweater just over her belly. "Look - it's finally starting to look round…instead of just like a big, fat, uneven mound attached to the front of my body!"

He couldn't restrain the laugh that shook his body if he tried. Propping himself up just a bit, he looked at her bare belly and saw that it was indeed looking rounder and less like a blob, which was how she referred to it a few weeks ago when she refused to leave the house because she had nothing appropriate to wear. He leaned over and kissed her belly. "Looks like Mummy is finally excited to show you off," he teased, and then kissed her belly again.

"I think he likes it when you talk to him," Anya said sweetly. "He calms down…like he's listening."

"Still thinking it's a boy?" he asked, pulling her shirt down and moving back to his original position.

She shrugged. "It's just a feeling. I mean, I'll be happy with whatever - girl or boy. I just have a gut feeling it's a he is all."

He looked up at her. "And you're certain about naming him James."

"I can't think of a more fitting name for our son," Anya earnestly replied. "I'd have chosen Dad's name as his middle name, but his name so close to 'Potter' could very well be the end of him."

James chuckled. "You have a point there."

"Besides…I know Dad…and how he feels about how he is viewed…and our family name…" Anya paused, placing a hand on her stomach as she felt the baby move, eagerly waiting the day when James would be able to feel as well. "He'd rather his legacy be carried on in other ways."

He kissed her neck softly, feeling her sigh underneath him. "Your dad deserves more credit than he gives himself, you know."

"I know," Anya said with another sigh, feeling her eyes water slightly. "I really think that's a big part of why he hasn't married Hermione yet though. I think a part of him still feels like he isn't good enough…that our world still views him as this hateful, evil person…when it couldn't be farther from the truth."

James brushed a tear away that was pooling at the corner of her eye, threatening to fall. "Hey now," he whispered.

She laughed, wiping tears away from her other eye. "Blasted hormones," she said. "It's just that I know he's wrong, and I know that Hermione loves him and that he would be lost without her."

"I reckon it isn't easy, being your dad," James said softly. "Maybe you should talk to him about it."

"Malfoys don't talk about feelings," Anya said, giving her husband a pointed stare. "You of all people should know that."

"Mmmhmm," he hummed in agreement, catching his lips with hers. "I can think of other things…that you in particular do quite well…that doesn't involve talking."

"Is that right?" Anya asked, tilting her head as he kissed her jaw, right below her ear.

"They also don't involve clothing," James added, pausing briefly as he peeled his shirt off and tossed it on the floor.

She pushed a hand into his chest to keep him at bay, laughing as he began to pout. "If you think my pregnant body is shagging on this couch you are sorely mistaken, James Potter. Get up - help me up - and I'll see you in a minute. I just need to put some things away in the kitchen."

He climbed off of her, holding his hands out as he pulled his wife up to her feet. Kissing her lips, he pulled away, wiggling his eyebrows. "Just so you know, while you're doing whatever is that I'm sure can wait in the kitchen, I'm going to be naked. Completely naked."

Anya gave his chest a shove as he tried to kiss her again. "I'll strip as I walk down the hall - save us some time."

"Good!" James shouted as he strutted down the hall to their bedroom. "Just save me a bit of a show right there at the end!"

She shook her head as she walked into the small eat in kitchen, dropping pans used at dinner into the sink and covering the plate she left out for James to put it in the fridge. Setting the timer on the dishwasher to run in the middle of the night, Anya went to pull her sweater up over her head when she heard a knock at the door. They usually didn't have visitors this late, and family always used the floo. Anya almost didn't answer it until she heard the knock again. She peeked through the peephole of their door and saw a flash of red hair. "Just a second," she said through the door before quickly walking back to the bedroom, where she found James, completely nude, with a smug look on his face.

"Like what you see?" he asked. "Wait - you aren't naked."

"Put your pants on, loverboy" she said. "Your mother's at the door."


	29. Chapter 29

_**I would just like to say thank you to RZZMG for recommending my fic on her tumblr, and NewYorkLover for pointing it out because it just about made my face melt off in excitement this morning!**_

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><p>James pulled the door open sharply, finding his mother on the other side, holding the strap of her purse with both hands like a lifeline as she looked up at her son. "Mum," he said, standing in the doorway.<p>

"I'm…I'm sorry for calling on you…so late," she said, noticing her son was bare chested and merely donning a pair of sweatpants. "I wasn't sure…I wasn't sure if you would…if you would still have your floo open for the night."

James gave his mother a look, his face vacant of any sort of emotion, until he felt a hand smack him upside the head. "Damn it!" He shouted, turning and giving his wife a glare. "You know I hate that!"

She flung a hand in the direction of the door and gave him an incredulous look. When he didn't take the hint, she pulled the door open wider and gave Ginny a small smile. "Please come in, Ginny," she said.

Ginny hesitated for a moment, her eyes focused on Anya's belly as it was much more noticeable now than it was the last time she saw her at Katie's birthday. Stepping inside the condo, Anya shut the door and motioned towards the living room. "Thank you, Anya," she said quietly, still holding her purse strap.

She took a seat on the leather recliner, sitting tentatively on the edge as she watched Anya push James over to the couch. "It wouldn't have killed you to put on a shirt," she watched Anya tell James as they sat down next to each other.

"It might have," he sarcastically replied.

"Stop acting like me," Anya teased, playfully pinching his side, earning a small grin out of the corner of his mouth.

James reached over and grabbed her hand, his fingers lacing with hers as he squeezed it tightly, looking up at his mother. "I take it you have something to say to us?"

Ginny looked down in her lap, nodding as let go of her purse strap long enough to tuck her hair back behind her ears, one at a time. When she looked up, she saw Anya, lightly drumming her fingers against the top of her stomach as her arm rested on her new little ledge. It wasn't hard to notice that she was now holding James' hand a bit tighter than he was. _Maybe she's as nervous as I am_, she thought to herself as she took a deep breath and exhaled. "I tried speaking with Hermione today," she began, hoping her voice wasn't shaking nearly as bad as she thought it sounded. "And she…well, she says that she will not speak with me until I make things right…" she took in another deep breath and exhaled sharply. "Until I make things right with you, Anya," Ginny finally managed to finish.

Anya raised her eyebrows, her fingers no longer drumming.

"I was very angry - not that you got married because a blind man could see that day coming - but that you to chose to do it in such a secretive manner," Ginny said, speaking slowly to keep herself from rushing her words into one incoherent sentence. "It was very wrong of me…to insinuate that you were solely to blame for it." She looked up at Anya, and then at her son. "I realize that while James would do…anything for you…as my husband always has…he wouldn't have gone along with something like this unless he thought about it, despite how people like his mother would feel about it."

James rolled his eyes, catching her little dig at the end. "We knew it wasn't going to be a popular decision with any of you - keeping it a secret," he said, holding his ground. "But again - us getting married wasn't about you. It wasn't about you, Dad, Draco, Aunt Hermione, or anyone. It was about us, and what we wanted, and what we felt comfortable doing, and we don't regret it." He saw his mother get ready to speak but he quickly shut her down. "And don't tell me you could have kept it small - it never would have been possible. Small would have meant 500 people instead of 50, and we didn't want a circus."

"It started because of my issues with my mother," Anya admitted as James kept a firm hold of her hand. "I was so excited when James proposed, and then when I got to really thinking about it, all I could think about was all the people we'd have to invite, and how none of them would be her and I just…" she took a deep breath, exhaling upwards as if it would somehow dry the tears threatening to fall. "I just wanted a wedding where I wasn't thinking about it, and James wanted a wedding where our faces wouldn't be on every wizarding newspaper in the world, and this was what we came up with."

"It only stayed a secret for so long because we both chickened out telling everyone about it," James added. "Which we'll take complete credit for. We should have told you after we did it, but we wanted to enjoy being married before we had to deal with…well this."

Ginny nodded, scratching her arm over her jacket. "I should have reacted better," she admitted. "I shouldn't have said such hurtful things to you, Anya, and I should have _never_ implied that Hermione felt any differently about any of this as I did. I know she doesn't…throw her emotions out there for everyone to see like I do." She looked back at Anya and bit her lips together for a moment. "I never meant to belittle Hermione's role in your life. I know she loves you, and has loved you practically your whole life."

Anya gave Ginny a small nod, the arm draped across the top of her stomach seeming to almost hug her belly closer. "I'm not sure she knows any other way."

"Which is why she's so amazing," Ginny quickly replied. "And I just…I'm so sorry for everything, I know I've caused problems, but I don't want…I don't want…" She thought she wasn't going to cry but the tears fell before she could stop them. "My baby is having a baby and I don't want to miss out on it because…because I couldn't admit that I was wrong and fix things in time!"

There weren't a lot of things that could crack James, but his mother crying was one of them. Anya crying was the other. He let go of his wife's hand and walked around the coffee table, pulling her out of the chair and hugging her tight. He'd been taller than his mother since he was fifteen, and now he towered over her as she buried her face in her hands. "Come on, Mum," James said, rubbing a hand up and down her back. "Calm down…everything is going to be fine…everything is going to be fine."

"It's not!" Ginny sobbed. "My best friend won't even speak to me, your father was so angry he didn't come home last night and - and - I'm just so sorry - for everything - I've messed up!"

"Mum!" James exclaimed, hugging her tighter as she shook her head. "It's alright - you apologized, Dad probably spent the night at Teddy's because Teddy got him drunk, you and Hermione will work things out, and it will be fine."

"Yeah," Anya added, not overtly enthusiastic but just enough to get by. "Everything will be fine, Ginny. I'm sure if you give Hermione a little more time she'll eventually forgive you."

James let go of his hold on Ginny as her sobs turned to sniffles, her hands brushing the tears on her cheeks away. "I don't know. She seemed pretty furious today when I saw her."

"I'll…talk to her," Anya said, not really sure she could convince Hermione to do anything but if it got her mother-in-law to stop crying, it was worth the attempt.

Ginny sniffled again. "You will?"

"Can't make it much worse," Anya offered.

James gave her a look. "Really?" he mouthed.

She shrugged, not sure what he else he expected. "I'll talk to her, Ginny," Anya said. "I promise."

Ginny nodded, her cheeks and eyes red. "I don't deserve that, but thank you," she said. "But…are we ok?"

Anya held her hands up and clapped them together. "I don't know…James, are we ok?"

James hugged his mother with an arm and gave her a smile. "We'll be fine, Mum. Stop worrying, ok?"

"Ok," Ginny said, sniffling for the last time as she pulled some tissues from her purse. "Well…I guess I'll be going now."

Anya stood up from the couch and gave Ginny a hug. It wasn't overtly warm, but it was enough to let Ginny know she'd eventually be completely forgiven. She kissed her cheek and Ginny did the same before hugging her son again. Anya motioned towards the bedroom with her head, and James nodded as he led his mother to the door.

"I really am sorry about everything," Ginny said as James opened the door. "I know I've made a mess of things."

James nodded. "You have, but like I said, we shouldn't have kept it a secret. We'll get past this, and in a few years, laugh at it. Maybe. Some of us might…maybe."

Ginny's shoulders dropped slightly. "I don't know how to get Hermione to listen to me."

James laughed as he gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. "Maybe you're the one who needs to do the listening. I love you," he said, kissing her other cheek. "Be safe getting home - I'll call and check on you tomorrow, ok?"

"Alright," Ginny said with a small smile. "Have a good night, sweetheart."

"You too, Mum," James said. With another kiss on the cheek, James shut the door and heard the faint popping of his mother disapparating from the hallway.

Walking back to his bedroom, he vigorously rubbed his hands through his hair, unsure really about how he really felt. He was mad at his mother for how poorly she handled everything, but she was his mother, and he knew how hard it had to have been for her to come to his house to apologize, as apologizing wasn't a skill set his mother was well equipped with. Inside his bedroom he found Anya sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing one of his old quidditch t-shirts as she peeled off her black leggings. "Is she gone?" Anya asked, wadding up her leggings and tossing them in the general direction of their hamper.

He plopped down next to her and nodded. "Yeah. She's gone."

"You alright?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you?"

She shrugged. "It's your mother."

"You're the one she insulted."

"She insulted you too," Anya pointed out with a chuckle.

He nudged his elbow into her arm. "Do you think I caved?" he honestly asked her.

Anya looked over at her husband and kissed his cheek before standing up. "I think…your mother is sorry…and I think that I can't judge whether or not you 'caved'…because God knows if my mother magically appeared in front of me, I'd forgive her for everything and Merlin knows she wouldn't deserve any of it."

* * *

><p>All of Draco's children got 'the talk' before they went to Hogwarts. 'The talk' of course, had nothing to do about boys and girls and everything to do with the fact that a long time ago, there was a war, and unfortunately, Daddy didn't figure out which side was the right side until the very end, and has spent nearly every day since making up for the decisions he made in a former life.<p>

When Anya got the talk, he had Harry's help, as they sat their two children down together to tell them. It was Hermione's suggestion, of course, to do it together. Their children were friends, and Hermione told Harry they should do it together to show the children that it didn't matter what happened in the past, and that the only thing that mattered now was that the two former enemies were now, by most vague definitions at that time, friends, and they didn't want what was certain to be said by other children to keep them from being friends.

Of course, James and Anya were sorted into separate houses and those first two years they kept to their house friends, but in the summer time they were back to normal. James was always quick to defend Anya's dad at Hogwarts, even as a first year when he heard older kids speaking ill of him, referring to him as 'the Dark Lord's right hand man' and blaming him for all the bad things that happened to Hogwarts, which could be read about in any magical history book. Even though it didn't make her popular, she told her friends off when they started getting snarky about the 'great and wonderful Harry Potter.'

Giving Claire and Scorpius the talk was a bit more difficult, only because he was now with Hermione, the girl he tormented, the girl he stared at in horror as his aunt tortured her on the floor of his childhood home. They were both vague on details, as they were each eleven at the time, but Hermione was so positive and reassuring when she spoke to them that Draco was certain it was her attitude that kept both of them during their respective talks from looking at him with shame. Scorpius was the only one that had dared to speak to his father following the talk, his older daughters just accepting what was said and quickly moving on.

It was the night before Scorpius' first day at Hogwarts, when Draco and Hermione found him sitting up in his bed, legs crisscrossed underneath him as he fiddled with a ratty old bear he'd had since birth.

_"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Hermione asked, taking a seat on Scorpius' bed and giving him a smile._

_He just shrugged, shaking his head as he played with the bear. _

_Hermione looked over at Draco, who stood leaning against the doorway, his arms folded against his chest, then back at Scorpius. "Sweetheart, are you upset at what Daddy and I talked about with you about school?"_

_Scorpius sniffed slightly. "No," he lied. _

_"Scorpius," Hermione said, her voice calm and soft. "We didn't tell you that story to get you upset. We just didn't want you to hear that story, or an embellished version of that story when you got to school. It was a war and bad things happened…but in the end everything worked out for the best."_

_"But you were hurt," he said, looking at Hermione as his gray eyes welled with tears. "And Daddy didn't help you."_

_Hermione smiled. "Your daddy and I didn't like each other much back then, love. I didn't expect Daddy to save me."_

_"But he should have," Scorpius mumbled, looking back down at his ratty old bear. "He should have saved you, Mummy." He suddenly looked up, jerking his head at towards his father as tears fell down his cheeks. "You should have saved Mummy."_

_Draco swallowed the hard lump forming in his throat, forcing it to go down as he spoke. "Son, there are a great many things I should have done back then, and when you're older…and we can explain more of it to you –"_

_"And you'll see," Hermione continued, "that your father didn't have the life you and your siblings have. Your father made decisions to keep bad things from happening to his own mother, bad things that you're too young to understand right now, but you will when you're older. You just have to trust us on that." She reached over and brushed his tears away with her thumb. "The most important thing is that your father is a good man, and he loves you, Leo, your sisters, and me very much, and he also loved your real mum and took very good care of her when she was sick – and that isn't something a bad man would do, now is it?"_

_Scorpius shook his head, his pajama sleeve catching a few more tears as he rubbed his face. "No," he said with a sniffle. "I suppose not."_

He dreaded giving that talk to Leo and Katie after that night. Next year, Leo would be off to Hogwarts, and next year Draco would have to give the same talk, hoping his son didn't look at him with the same disappointed look Scorpius did that night. And Katie…he could feel his chest tighten uncomfortably when he thought about having to look at her, vaguely explaining the horrors of everything that happened all those years ago.

They went to Diagon Alley that weekend to pick up Claire and Scorpius' books and new uniforms. Draco had no desire to go but Katie looked at him and said, "Please Daddy please!" and that was the end of that. He carried her on his shoulders as they walked up and down the cobble streets as Leo and Scorpius ran off in front of him, playing tag as they circled around Claire and Hermione.

"How's the view up there?" he asked Katie, his hands firmly around her ankles as she giggled.

"I feel super tall!" she exclaimed.

Draco laughed. "That's because you are super tall right now."

"All right you two!" Hermione called out to the boys as they stopped in front of Madam Malkin's. "Scorp, in with me and your sister to make sure your robes fit."

Scorpius groaned loudly. "Can't you just look at them and see if they'll fit, Mum?"

"If I could, I wouldn't have brought you," Hermione smartly replied with a cheeky grin. "Draco, will you take these two down to the menagerie to get whatever Scorp is going to need to take Spike back to Hogwarts?"

Draco nodded. "Is there a list?"

She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him, stealing a kiss along the way. "Thank you. And see if Katie is sure she doesn't want a pet. She's going to be sad when Claire and Scorp leave on Monday."

"She starts pre-school on Tuesday, love. It'll be short lived," Draco said with a chuckle.

She kissed him again and gave him a pointed stare. "Just ask her – and if she wants a cat, don't be you about it."

"Of course, love," Draco replied, lifting Katie off of his shoulders and placing her on the ground but grabbing her hand. "Come along Leo – let's go make sure Spike will survive at Hogwarts." Leo grabbed ahold of Draco's other hand, and he smiled on the inside. Scorpius was his rough and tumble boy, and he stopped wanting to hold hands when he was five. Leo on the other hand, while he was close enough in resemblance to his brother that they could nearly be twins, was more reserved. He could get rowdy with his brother at times, but usually he was more reserved, always observing what was going around him, and of course, had no problem holding his dad's hand in public. "Katie," Draco said as he gave his daughter's hand a squeeze. "Mummy said to make certain that you don't want a pet."

"We can look," Katie said. "But I'm pretty sure I'm going to be too busy at school."

Draco and Leo exchanged a small grin. "I think you should get a kitty," Leo said to his sister. "That's the perfect pet for someone who is going to be busy. They pretty much take care of themselves."

"I know," Katie replied. "I read about them."

Draco was dreading Tuesday afternoon, when Katie came home with the realization that pre-school wasn't much more than counting, coloring, and napping. As they neared the shop, he noticed some people on the other side of the street, pointing and staring, and out of nowhere, a man brushed passed them, nearly trampling Katie as he sneered at Draco.

"Watch it!" he shouted at the man, scooping Katie up quickly. "You nearly trampled my daughter!"

"Fucking death eater!" the man shouted back as others in the street began to stare.

"I'm going to tell my mummy that you said a bad word at my daddy and you're going to be in _big_ trouble!" Katie shouted back, giving the man a glare that only a Malfoy could give.

Leo shook his head quickly at Katie. "Be quiet, Katie!" Leo hissed. He tugged on his dad's hand as Draco continued to glare at the man. "Come on Dad," he said. "Let's just go. He's just a stupid man."

"What!" the loudmouth shouted over at Draco. "Have nothing to say? Don't want to show your little children your tricks? Don't want them to know your _secrets_?"

Leo tugged on his father's hand again. "Please Dad," he said. "Let's just go."

Draco took in a sharp breath and broke contact with the man who he'd never seen before, and looked down at his son. "Yeah," he managed to speak. "Come on."

He'd barely turned around before he heard Katie shriek at the top of her lungs and throw her hands in the direction of the man. Ripping his hand from Leo's, Draco pulled his wand from inside his jacket pocket but it wasn't necessary. Whatever spell the angry man had cast rebounded a good foot away from them. Draco turned and found Ron Weasley of all people, and watched as he threw a body bind curse at the man as he fell to the ground as the protego spell that was around them dissolved. "You realize that attacking a Ministry official is worth a minimum of ten years in Azkaban, right?" Ron gruffly asked as he yanked the man upright as the ropes disappeared.

"The only person that belongs in Azkaban is that death eating murderer!" the man shouted. "How dare the Ministry let him walk the streets!"

"You're an idiot," Ron snapped as a few other aurors appeared. Handing off to a few junior aurors to take back to the Ministry, Ron looked over at a dumbfounded Draco and his terrified children as the other aurors began to take in witness reports. "I didn't know your kid could do wandless magic that well, Malfoy."

Draco blinked a few times. "I'm…I'm sorry?"

"Katie," Ron said. "It was pretty impressive, a protego that large from something that small."

Draco blinked a few times more, then looked over at Katie. "That was you?" he asked.

She nodded before burying her little face into his neck as she hugged him tight.

"Draco!" he heard Hermione shout down the street. Leo let go of his hand and ran down towards Hermione, with Scorpius and Claire trailing behind her. She hugged Leo as he barreled into her and looked up at Draco, terrified at the site in front of her. "Are you alright? Is she alright? What happened?"

He managed to nod, but couldn't speak. "This idiot was heckling them," Ron explained, jerking his head towards the man two aurors currently had restrained. "And then he attempted to throw a hex, and we don't know what it was yet because Katie threw one hell of protego. We'll figure it out at the Ministry though…and that'll determine how long he shacks up at Azkaban."

"Katie!" Scorpius exclaimed. "You can do magic! She's never done magic before, Mum."

Katie didn't respond, except to wrap around Draco's neck a little bit tighter.

James and Harry apparated into the alley, Ron giving Harry the rundown as James walked over to make sure Hermione and the kids were ok. "You ok?" he asked Hermione.

"I'm fine," she quickly said. "I wasn't here – we were getting robes. Draco had Leo and Katie when…this somehow occurred."

He turned around and found Draco standing three feet away, whispering something into Katie's ear as she seemed to have her body wrapped around him as much as she could. "You ok?" he asked Draco. "You look…awful, really."

"It…just caught me off guard," Draco finally managed to speak. "I…I usually get the looks. I…no one…I haven't been…like this…since right after." He shifted Katie, albeit a tad difficult, to his other hip. "I…I didn't want to come today," he said, looking directly at Hermione. "I'm going back, I'm taking Katie with me. Leo – you want to come back?"

Leo shook his head. "I want to stay with Mummy."

Draco swallowed hard, seeing the fear in his son's face. "James?" he asked, his voice strangled slightly. "Stay with them, please?"

James didn't have to be asked twice. "Draco I hardly think that's necessary," Hermione said, her voice going up a nervous octave as she stared at him.

"It's fine," James quickly said. He looked over at Draco and gave him an honest nod. "I won't leave them. I promise."

That was all the reassuring Draco needed as he looked over at Hermione. "Draco don't leave," Hermione asked him, nearly begging. "Just come here and let me –"

"I have to go! Don't you understand!" Draco hissed, his voice cracking as he stared back at her. "I have to go."

She brushed a hand over Leo's head as he continued to cling to her. "Ok…alright," Hermione stammered.

He disapparated, with Katie in tow, before anyone could say anything else.

* * *

><p>When Anya received James' patronus, giving him a rundown of the late morning's events in Diagon Alley, she figured her dad was going to need a little bit of time before she went over to see how he was doing. She remembered being a little bit younger than Katie when she experienced that sort of hatred that both her parents were careful to shelter her from as a child. She didn't remember what was said, exactly, or why those people were shouting at him, but she remembered the look on her father's face before he disapparated her and her mother out of the alley before anyone could do anything.<p>

She wrapped a light sweater jacket around her long, pink tank top she had paired with her slim black knit pants and pulled her hair up into a messy bun like she used to for ballet rehearsal. She thought she'd miss dancing more by now, but she didn't really. It was fun for a while, but she was excited about being a mother. She joked once to James that her own mother and his mother had given her a roadmap of all the things not to do, as one was practically non-existent while the other was completely irrational and overbearing. James agreed with her sentiment, and then made a comment that it was a good thing Hermione was around to show her the ropes, and Anya couldn't have agreed more. If she could find a way to be half the mother Hermione was, she thought she'd be alright.

She arrived by floo to her father's house, and oddly enough did not find him brooding in the study. Dropping her purse on his desk, she walked through the house, checking his and Hermione's room, grimacing as she peeked her head into each of the boy's room at those atrocious green lizards staring back at her through their respective tanks. "Gross," she muttered as she shut Leo's door. "If you're a boy," she spoke quietly to her belly. "Please don't _ever_ ask Mummy for a lizard."

Quietly, she stopped outside of Katie's door and carefully opened it, where she found her father sleeping in Katie's bed as Katie sat next to him as if she was guarding him from something terrible. Anya tilted her head and smiled at her little sister as she carefully yet barely pet her father's hair as he slept. She walked over to Katie and carefully picked her up out of the bed to let her father sleep.

"I don't think we should leave him," Katie whispered in Anya's ear as she closed Katie's bedroom door. "And James says you aren't supposed to carry me anymore cause there's a baby in your belly."

Anya ran a hand over Katie's head and kissed her forehead. "James isn't the boss of me," she stated. "And Daddy will be fine. Nothing bad will happen."

"A bad man tried to hurt Daddy today," Katie said quietly. "But I stoppeded him."

Anya nodded. "So I heard. Are you hungry? Do you want some lunch?"

Katie nodded and dropped her head on Anya's shoulder as she carried her downstairs and into the kitchen. Anya placed her little bottom on the end of the counter top and pulled out some bread, creamy peanut butter, and jelly, all the while keeping an eye on her sister. James told her about the little bit of magic Katie pulled off, and she found it a bit odd because Katie hadn't shown any magical abilities at all until today. Her father was worried about it, because all of them, including Leo, showed signs of magic all before they were two, but Hermione wasn't bothered, as her own magic didn't come until she was five. Cutting her sandwich into four crust-less squares, she slid the plate over to Katie and leaned against the countertop, arms crossed against her chest. "Katie?"

"Yes?" she asked with a mouthful of sandwich.

She fetched her sister a glass of milk in one of her tumblers and placed it next to her. "You did a really good thing today, you know. Not a lot of people can do what you did without a wand, even accidentally."

Katie nodded, and took a drink.

"Katie?"

"Yes?"

"Can you do more magic?" she carefully asked.

Katie took another bite of her sandwich, carefully chewing it before swallowing. "I'm not supposed to do magic."

A grin pulled at Anya's lips. "How long have you been able to do magic?"

Her sister shrugged. "Always."

"Always?"

Katie took another bite, finishing one of the squares and taking a drink. "I heard Mummy say once when I was really little that you aren't supposed to do magic outside of Hogwarts to Claire."

Anya laughed, only because she knew Katie was convinced she was a heartbeat away from being an adult when in fact she was still 'really little.' She adjusted the headband on her head and looked at her sister with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You've already broken the rule once today though," she reasoned. "I just want to see what you can do. We won't tell anyone – it'll be our secret."

Katie's little heels thudded against the wooden cabinet door of the island. "You're sure I won't get in trouble?"

"Promise," Anya replied. "Now impress me."

Suddenly, the peanut butter cap and the jelly cap screwed onto their respective jars before confidently floating back to their place in the cabinet. The knife Anya used floated and gently lay itself down in the sink. Anya looked over at her sister and watched as she moved her hands, and suddenly a washcloth came out of the drawer, soaked and wrung itself out in the sink, and floated over to wipe the island down where Anya made her sandwich.

As Katie sent the washcloth, bunched up to the trashcan where it shook out the crumbs before rinsing itself off in the sink, Anya looked at her sister with wide eyes. "Ho-ly shit," Anya managed to speak with a chuckle.

"You said a swear!" Katie exclaimed.

"It'll be our secret," Anya replied, still in awe. "Katie – you realize that you're not supposed to be able to do that yet, right? Especially without a wand."

Katie shrugged and grabbed another piece of her sandwich. "But I can," she said before taking a bite.

"Yes...I can see that," Anya replied, bemused by the little pint-sized girl in front of her.

Katie wasn't supposed to be as smart as she was, and no one had high expectations for her magical abilities. The healers at St. Mungo's warned her father and Hermione over and over again that she was a peculiar case, with how she absorbed her mother's magic and how she was born earlier than most wizarding babies. They told them to practice cautious optimism with her achievements, but the healer's pleas fell on deaf ears. _I don't think you understand how small she is_, James told Anya before she even had the chance to see her at the hospital. _She fit entirely in my hand. In just one hand. It doesn't look good._

"There you are."

Anya looked up and Katie turned her head as a tired Draco shuffled into the kitchen. "Hi Dad," Anya said, giving him a once over. "You look awful."

He gave her a sarcastic smile. "Thanks."

"YaYa made me lunch," Katie pointed out. "Do you want some?" she asked, offering him a square. "There's no nuts in it. I don't like nuts."

Draco took the small sandwich square from his daughter and took a bite. "Good," he said as he chewed. "Daddy doesn't like nuts either." He looked over at his eldest and scowled. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Stop making me look at you like that," she retorted. "I can make you a sandwich if you want too."

He shook his head. "I'm fine," he said. "I'm just tired is all. It was a rough morning."

Anya didn't bother suppressing a snort. "So I hear." She pushed herself away from the counter ledge and walked over to her father, slipping her long arms around his waist and hugged him close. Draco returned his daughter's hug, kissing the side of her head as she squeezed him tight. "I hear Katie and Leo had it worse than I did," she lightly joked, looking up at him.

"I can't think about it," Draco said with a sigh. "I don't know what I would have done if something had happened…had Katie not accidentally…I didn't have my wand out fast enough." Katie finished her sandwich and Draco picked her up from the counter and placed her feet first on the ground and handed Katie her drink as she walked out of the room. "I've never felt that threatened before with you kids. I never thought I'd be grateful to Granger's ex-husband for appearing when he did. And Leo – Anya, you didn't see his face. He looked terrified of me."

"I'm sure he wasn't scared of you," Anya reassured her father. "Leo adores you! We all do!"

"You didn't see his face, Anya," Draco repeated, his voice catching slightly in his throat. "You didn't see his face."

* * *

><p>Harry came downstairs from his house in Godric's Hollow, where he and James apparated everyone once Hermione wrapped up her errands in Diagon Alley. He knew Draco needed space, and even though Hermione and his wife weren't exactly on speaking terms, Harry figured his house was still the best option. He'd just got done speaking to Leo and Scorpius about what happened earlier, and Leo appeared to understand, but he left the two brothers alone, figured Scorpius help Leo, as he had a year under his belt at Hogwarts, and probably knew more about his father now than he did when he left.<p>

He found Lily and Claire painting each other's fingernails in the kitchen with their feet propped up on chairs as their toenails were drying. Ginny was cleaning up lunch, with plates set aside for the boys when they decided to come down and eat. Harry kissed his wife on the cheek as she rinsed the soap away from the plates. "Where is she?" he asked.

"In the den," Ginny replied. "I brought her some tea a bit ago with some lunch. I haven't checked on her since."

"I checked on her," Claire piped in from the table. "She ate a little bit of it. I think she's just upset about Dad _freaking_ out."

Harry gave Claire a look. "You could learn some tact, Claire Malfoy."

"Dad doesn't have any – and it's working out just fine for him," Claire retorted with a smirk as she went back to painting Lily's thumbnail bright yellow. "She wouldn't talk to me though, about Dad anyway. She just said to make sure I ate lunch…so I did."

Harry coughed a bit as he laughed. "Right. Well, your brothers are sorting themselves out upstairs. I hope they'll be down shortly."

"I'll check on them," Ginny offered. "Just go…and do whatever it is you two do."

"Whatever it is you two do?" Harry repeated. "And what exactly is that?"

"Merlin help me if I ever figure it out," Ginny quipped. "One of you gets in one of these moods and the only person that can fix it is the other…so go. Fix it."

Harry laughed, giving his wife a quick kiss before wandering through his house to the den, where he found Hermione curled up on the sofa, sipping her tea as she stared off in space. He took a seat next to her and she turned her head, giving him a smile. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hi," Harry replied with a grin. "Exciting Saturday we're having, isn't it?"

She raised her eyebrows up and down in response. "I've never seen him look that spooked before, Harry."

"I'd have been spooked too," Harry stated. "I thought it was hard to be me after the war – it was infinitely harder to be him. He'd never go out with us after training rounds and when he did, it was awful. Even if we were with him."

Hermione sighed. "He didn't want to come with us today. I know he hates large crowds and I knew it would be busy with school starting on Monday but Katie asked him and he never tells her no and…" she sighed again, leaning to the side to set her tea down on the table. "Who knew there would be a day where I would find myself grateful for my ex-husband?"

Laughing, Harry draped an arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him. "I think I'd be a bit more impressed with that little one of yours more so than Ron, but I have to admit it was a good thing he was where he was."

She shook her head fiercely. "Harry, you and I both know there is absolutely no way Katie threw up that barrier. There's no way. She's never shown any signs of being able to do magic. Ever."

"I have multiple witnesses who say that shield undoubtedly came from her, Hermione. It was all Katie."

"There's no way," Hermione firmly replied. "I would know if my child could do magic and I'm telling you, Harry, even I have a small fear that she's a squib. Draco obviously has a huge fear of this, but I'm pretty sure she'll show magic soon."

Harry shook his head. "Hermione, I'm telling you, it was Katie, and I'm also telling you, that no one I spoke to was shocked by it."

Scoffing, Hermione folded her arms against her chest and gave her best friend a playful stare. "You're wrong, Mr. Potter."

"If we're going to be formal about it, it's actually Mr. Minister," Harry teased. "And regardless of the formalities…I'm still right."

A knock on the door had both of their heads turning, finding Ginny in the doorway. "I'm sorry to interrupt," she said, without her usual confidence. "Leo is asking for you, Hermione. He's upstairs in James' old room."

Nodding, Hermione stood up and walked over towards Ginny. "James mentioned you patched things up with them."

Ginny eagerly nodded. "I did. I apologized profusely."

Hermione responded with a weak smile. "Obviously…I have bigger issues at the moment, like my son being terrified of his father…and I can't forget what you said to me, or really about me, but I can forgive it, and unfortunately that's the best I can do right now."

"I can accept that," Ginny said quietly, quite obvious to everyone else that it wasn't the answer she'd hoped for. "Scorpius is um…he's eating lunch in the kitchen right now. I have a plate for Leo too if he's hungry."

"Thank you," Hermione said with a smile while walking past Ginny.

James' room was the first door on the right at the top of the stairs, and Hermione could see the door was open as she reached the top step. Peeking her head in, she saw Leo, his cheeks red and tearstained. Her nails rapped against the doorframe lightly, the telltale sign to all the children that their mother was at the door without having to look up.

Leo wiped his nose on his sleeve and sniffled. "Is Daddy a bad man?" he bluntly asked Hermione as he looked up. "Uncle Harry explained to me what a…what a death eater was…but that man said that Daddy…he said that Daddy murdered people, and I know what that means."

Hermione sighed as she gave her son a sad smile, her heart breaking at the thought of all the awful things running through his little head. "Can Mummy sit next to you?" she asked. When he gave her a nod, she took a seat next to him on the bed and wrapped her arms around him, kissing the top of his head. "Oh Leo," Hermione cooed as she sighed, brushing a hand over his head as he looked up at him. "Daddy lived a very, very complicated life when we were little."

"Uncle Harry said there was a war, and Daddy was on the bad side."

"He was," Hermione acknowledged. "But he didn't want to be. His daddy wasn't a nice man, and your daddy thought that if he left, and tried to fight for the good side, that something terrible would happen to his mummy…and your daddy loved his mummy more than anything in the entire world, and he couldn't leave her."

Leo sniffled. "I love you more than anything in the world."

Hermione smiled as she blinked back tears. "Do you?" she asked with a laugh. "Good thing, because Mummy loves you and your siblings more than anything, and so does your Daddy. I can't even begin to tell you how much Daddy loves you, Leo."

"But is he what that bad man said?" Leo asked. "Did he murder people?"

She shook her head. "His daddy did, but your daddy most certainly is not a murderer. After the war…people blamed Daddy for things his father did, and that isn't very fair, is it?"

Leo shook his head. "It's not fair at all!" he cried.

"But some people think it's ok to assume someone is guilty because of who they are friends with, or who their families are," Hermione said. "And the war happened a long time ago. Before you and your siblings were even a thought, and long before your daddy and I became a couple. And most people have moved on, like Daddy and Uncle Harry. They didn't like each other very much when we were younger. Daddy and I didn't like each other much either to be honest."

Giggling as he sniffled, Leo scooted closer to Hermione and rested his head against the side of her chest. "Uncle Harry said it's because you were smarter than Daddy at everything."

"It's true," Hermione confirmed with a giggle of her own. "And I'm still smarter than Daddy - but look at us now. Uncle Harry and Daddy are friends, and Daddy and I made you, and Katie, and with your older siblings we're one great, big, wonderful family now."

Leo climbed up onto his knees as he turned to face his mother, staring at her face to see if she was just trying to make him feel better. He knew his mummy did that sometimes, like when Katie was born and everyone was really scared but she just kept saying that everything was fine even though no one knew that was true at the time. He'd find her crying in bed when she came home from the hospital to rest, and he would always crawl into bed with her so she would stop, and that's when she'd tell him everything was fine.

"Daddy isn't a bad man," Hermione promised her son, grabbing his hands with hers. "Mummy wouldn't be with Daddy if he was a bad man, and Uncle Harry, Grandma, and Grandpa certainly would have never, ever let me help Daddy take care of Anya, Claire, and Scorp if he was a bad guy."

Nodding, he wiggled one of his hands from his mother and wiped his eyes one at a time. "I don't want people to call Daddy bad if he isn't."

"Well believe me, Leo," Hermione reassured him. "If Mummy could banish all the people from the world who would say things that were untrue about your daddy, I would. I just don't have that kind of power."

"Uncle Harry does though!" Leo exclaimed. "He's in charge! He's the Minister of Magic! He can tell them, Mummy! He can tell everybody that Daddy is good and then people will stop saying that he isn't!"

Adoring her son's enthusiasm at any chance to right a wrong, something he definitely inherited from her, Hermione brushed a hand against her son's cheek and smiled. "If anyone can convince Uncle Harry to do something, I'm certain it could be you," she said with a smile. "Just promise me one thing."

"Anything, Mummy."

"When we get home, and you see Daddy, you give him the biggest hug you possibly can give him," Hermione told him, doing her best to keep her voice from breaking as she kept a smile on her face. "Because Daddy doesn't want you to be scared of him, and it will…it will break his heart if he thinks you are."

Leo nodded quickly, his face much brighter than it had been minutes before. "I'll give him the biggest hug I've ever given him - and Katie too. She stopped that bad man from casting a curse at Daddy."

"Leo, I just don't see how that is possible," Hermione said with a smile.

"I watched her do it, Mummy!" Leo exclaimed. "That man cast a curse and suddenly Katie threw her arms towards him and screamed, and suddenly it was like a shell surrounded us…and it had this weird bluish like tint to it. Then Mr. Weasley shouted and caught the man and the shell was gone. It was Katie, Mum. Daddy didn't get his wand in time."

Hermione nodded, humoring her son as she stood up from the bed. "Come on downstairs, Leo, and eat your lunch so we can go home and see Daddy. Aunt Ginny has a delicious turkey sandwich downstairs with your name on it."

* * *

><p>It didn't take much to get Katie down from her nap. Between using her magic and the chaos of the day, she was passed out before Anya could lay her down in bed. She kissed her cheek as she pulled her covers up to her neck, just like Katie liked them, and shut her door as she left the room. Rubbing a hand on her belly, she walked down towards her father's room and found him holding a small black box and a folded piece of paper as he stood in front of an open drawer of his bureau.<p>

"Katie's asleep," Anya said.

Draco turned around and smiled. "I'm glad you came over today. I don't know what I would do without you some days."

Grinning, Anya walked into his room and sat down on the end of his and Hermione's king sized bed. "We were quite the duo there for a fair bit of time, weren't we?"

"We were," Draco agreed as he moved to sit next to her, reaching over to give his granddaughter or grandson a gentle rub on the side of her belly. "I still can't believe you're having a baby of your own."

"Me neither some days," Anya said with a laugh. "January will be here before you know it. Are you ready for another baby in your life?"

"I don't have to do much for this one, other than spoil it rotten," Draco said with a grin.

She watched as he sat that black box down in between them, his fingers still flipping around the folded piece of paper between his fingers. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the paper.

Draco handed it to Anya and sighed. "A letter your mother wrote. Winky gave it to me about a month after Leo was born, said that he was instructed to 'give it to me at the right time,' whatever that means."

"Did you get a box, or just a letter?" Anya asked as she carefully unfolded the letter in her hands. The paper, or really parchment, felt paper thin, as if it had been opened, read, and closed a million different times. "I got a box filled with letters, and a few other things."

"Just a letter," Draco said. "Claire and Scorpius got their boxes when they started at Hogwarts. Hermione got one too, but I have no idea what it said. She won't tell me.

"Did you show her yours?"

"Of course not," Draco said with a scoff. "I told her she can see mine when I can see hers."

"How adult of you," Anya giggled as she unfolded the last crease. She eyed the familiar cursive scrawl as she shifted her position on the bed, crisscrossing her legs underneath her as she leaned forward, her elbows propped up against her knees as she began to read the letter.

_Draco,_

_If you haven't proposed to Hermione by the time you've received this letter, I clearly underestimated how stupid you are._

_You love her. She loves you. Don't let our awful marriage, forced upon us by our parents, ruin your chance at happiness. _

_Take care of our children. Tell the girls I loved them, because I did despite my inability to show them. I hope with Hermione's guidance and your love that they will grow up to be beautiful, amazing women. Tell our son that I wanted him more than anything, and I hate that our time together was cut so unfairly short. _

_I have many regrets that I'll never have a chance to correct, but I don't regret marrying you, and I don't regret having our children. They're the only three brilliant things I've done with my life._

_Marry Hermione. Don't feel guilty about having the life you deserve - the life you've always wanted - with her. Please, just don't let the children forget about me._

_Love, Astoria._

Anya carefully folded the letter back up, blinking back her tears as she handed the letter back to Draco. "I don't know about Claire and Scorpius, but I wish I could forget her some days. I'd certainly be less warped."

Draco lamely chuckled, shaking his head. "I fear sometimes I haven't done a good job with talking about Astoria with Scorpius, but I know he knows Astoria - at least the best parts of her."

"I told him stories when he was a little bit older, about Katie's age," Anya said. "And like you said - he knows the best parts about her. Claire has managed to only remember the best part of her. I'm just lucky I guess…knowing it all." She didn't realize she was crying until her father handed her a handkerchief from his pocket. Wiping her tears, she held the thin piece of cloth in her hand and sighed. "She was right though - you're an idiot for not marrying Hermione after all this time."

"I haven't married her because of what happened today," Draco confessed. "It's been twenty five years and people still stare. People still sneer and today, my children were almost attacked because I am never done paying for the sins of my father, and for the choice to stay and protect my mother. Hermione doesn't deserve to be permanently attached to that."

Anya rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot, Dad. She has two children with you. How more attached can she be?"

"Yeah - both of which were complete accidents."

"But you wouldn't give them back."

"Of course I wouldn't!" Draco shouted. "They're my children - I love them!"

She picked up the box that sat between and opened it. Inside was a delicate ring, a braided gold band with a round diamond in the setting, surrounded by small rubies. "It's very Hermione," Anya remarked, pulling the ring from the box as she examined it. "It's a pity someone hasn't plucked up the courage to ask her."

Draco's shoulders hung from his stressed body as he watched Anya examine the ring. "I had it made a few months before Leo was born."

Anya smacked her dad in the arm hard. "You ass!" she shouted. "You've had this goddamn thing for ten years and you haven't have the decency to give it to her! What the hell's a matter with you for Merlin's sake!"

Draco snatched the ring and the box back from his daughter and jumped up from the bed before she could hit him again. "Do not swear at me, and do not hit me!" he shouted back at her.

"I'm sorry that I can't control my emotions when you do stupid things like hoard an engagement ring for ten bloody years!" Anya exclaimed. "What in the fuck are you waiting for?"

"Stop swearing at your father!"

"Stop being an idiot!" Anya shouted. "Do you think what happened today is going to change Hermione's mind about you? She loves you! She's loved you for who knows how long! She's taken care of us, and helped us heal when Mum died, and you're worried about some daft ingrate who doesn't know how to let the past go sway how you think she's going to feel about you? That a horrid man in the middle of the street could suddenly make her not love you?"

Draco clenched his fist, not wanting to have this conversation with his daughter. "You don't understand how I feel, and how I've felt," he carefully spoke, trying to restrain his emotions that were already running high. "The best thing that could have happened to you was changing your last name, and that goes for Katie and it goes for Claire when they get married someday. I have two sons that will bear the burden of the Malfoy name, just like I have, and there's nothing I can do about that. There's nothing I can do, nothing I can say, to make that better for them. So why would I marry Granger? Why would I give her a name that has caused so much grief?"

All Anya could do was roll her eyes. "Who says she would even change her last name? And better yet - who cares because you still call her Granger like she's a bar buddy instead of the woman you share a life with."

He sighed, shaking his head as he hid the ring and the letter back in his drawer. "That's not the point, Anya. I don't want Hermione to burden anymore of my life than she already has."

The sound of the front door opening and shutting, Leo and Scorpius' shouts for Draco echoing throughout the house stopped their argument as the two stared at each other. "She loves you," Anya said as she stood up from the bed. "And she loves us. We were _never_ a burden to her. Maybe to Mum, but _never_ to Hermione. Not once. Not _ever_."

She walked away from her father to go head off her brothers, but they were too quick. Scorpius and Leo barreled through the door, Anya catching Scorpius for a moment and letting Leo run over to Draco. "Dad!" he shouted, running right into Draco's legs as he hugged him as tight as he could around his waist.

Draco pried his son's arms from his waist and knelt down so that he was at Leo's eye level, bracing his hands against Leo's arms as he stared at the brown-eyed boy. "You alright?" he asked.

Leo nodded. "I'm sorry I was scared."

"It's alright," Draco whispered. "Daddy is so sorry you were scared…I didn't want that for you."

Leo lunged at his father, wrapping his arms around his neck. "I'm sorry you were scared too," he whispered back in his father's ear.

Draco and Leo let go of each other, Draco kissing his son's forehead before standing back up to his feet. He looked over at Scorpius as Leo turned around, leaning into him as he placed his hands on his father's shoulder. "Did your mother finish her errands?"

Scorpius nodded. "We're all ready for Hogwarts. Even Spike."

"And you're alright?" Draco asked.

"I'm fine," Scorpius said in his cavalier voice, waving a hand at his father. "Where's Katie?"

"Napping," Anya said, giving the boys a stern look. "So knock it off with the shouting, alright?"

Scorpius' cheeks turned red, as it was him who was doing most of the shouting. "Sorry about that."

"Good," Draco said. "Why don't you boys go show your sister your awful lizards while I go find your mother."

"Yeah!" Scorpius shouted. "YaYa - come see Spike and Gertrude! They're super cool!"

Anya resisted the urge to gag as the boys now hand her hands, pulling her towards their rooms. "Just don't take them out of the cage," Draco could hear Anya plead, laughing to himself as he applauded his plan. _That'll teach her to get snotty with me_, he thought to himself as he checked his reflection in the mirror, trying to make it look like he didn't appear as bad as he felt. Scratching the back of his neck, he rolled his shoulders, trying to alleviate some of his tension when he heard his bedroom door shut.

He turned around and found Hermione leaning against it, looking as exhausted as he was. "Did the boys find you?" she asked.

"Did you convince our son I wasn't a monster?"

"It hardly took convincing," Hermione quietly replied, not moving from the door. "Did my daughter really protect you three today?"

"Does my son know what a death eater is?"

"Are you going to answer everything I ask with a question? Because you know I can't _stand_ it when you do that sort of rubbish."

"Are you going to stand there and resist what I'm sure is an overwhelming urge to hug me to death by asking me questions?" It didn't take more than two seconds before Draco felt the wind knock out of him as Hermione latched onto him for dear life. He hugged her back, an arm around her waist and a hand on her head as she buried her face into his chest. "I'm sorry for leaving you this morning," he murmured. "I couldn't stay there, and I would have put Katie down but she wasn't letting go and Leo's face…"

Hermione shook her head slightly. "It's fine," her voice was muffled against his chest. "Harry and I took care of it." She looked up at him earnestly as he bent his neck down, their noses barely touching. "He was scared…but he's fine now. Scorp helped too. Everything is fine."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Draco mumbled. He tried to let go of Hermione, but she made no move to let go of him, her hold just as tight as it was as she pressed the side of her face against his chest.

"I'm not done yet," Hermione said. "You scared the hell out of me today, Draco Malfoy."

"It wasn't the plan," he ruefully said with a low laugh. "Believe me. The last thing I wanted today - ever - was to have to tell your ex-husband thank you."

"Well if you ever do that to me again, so help me God, Draco, I will absolutely -"

Hermione didn't get to finish her sentence. She was interrupted by a large crash, followed by the sounds of thundering footsteps, and shrill shrieks. Thinking something had happened to Anya, the two of them bolted out of the bedroom, nearly trampling over one another as they followed the shrieks of Anya and Claire, only to find them being chased by their brothers, both of them running with their lizards thrust out in front of them. By the time they rounded back into the living room again, Draco snatched the two boys by their shirt collars as Anya and Claire jumped up onto the couch, glaring at their brothers.

"What in the bloody hell are you doing chasing your _pregnant sister_ around this house?" Draco shouted. "Have you no sense? She could have fallen, or tripped, or something worse!"

"She's fine!" Scorpius exclaimed in disgust as Draco let the boys go. "She was just screaming because I was trying to make her touch Spike!"

Hermione stepped in before Draco's blood pressure reached its limit. "Scorpius, sweetheart, chasing Claire is one thing -"

"I don't want to touch that damn lizard either!" Claire shrieked.

"You're sister is upstairs napping so can we please stop with the yelling!" Draco hissed.

Hermione placed a hand on Draco's arm and gave him a look, before turning her attention back to the boys. "You cannot chase Anya, you hear me? She's pregnant, and you can't rough house with her like this."

"What, so because she's having a baby we can't have fun with her anymore?" Scorpius haughtily asked. "That's a bunch of bollocks!"

"You know I don't like that word. And I'm not saying she can't have fun," Hermione expressed to both of the boys. "But you can't chase her. What if she fell down? What if she got hurt, or worse, the baby?"

Scorpius huffed. "I just won't go near her if that's how you feel about it."

"Scorp, you're completely misunderstanding what Hermione is saying," Anya tried to interject. "I can still have fun - but Hermione's right. I probably shouldn't be running through the house. At least not without shoes on..."

"You shouldn't be running period!" Draco snapped. "End of story!"

"Whatever," Scorpius snapped. "This sucks. Come on, Leo. Let's go."

Leo looked over at his sister, then at his exasperated parents. "Sorry," he offered with a shrug as he went to follow his brother with Gertrude in tow."

Draco started to breath in and out slowly in an attempt to calm his nerves, while Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. Silence overcame the house for a few brief moments, before they heard Katie shouting for both of her parents. "Can today be over yet?" Draco groaned.

"Only if we're lucky," Hermione wearily replied. "And you two," she said to the girls with a small smirk. "Don't stand on my new couch!"

The girls laughed as they both plopped down to their bottoms. "Sorry," they chimed together.

"Go take care of Katie," Anya said. "We'll be good."

"Promise," Claire added.

Draco looked at his two daughters as Hermione headed up the stairs. "I swear, you children are going to be the bloody death of me."

Anya laughed. "Whatever, Dad. It's pretty clear you've got bigger problems than us."

"Anya?"

"Yes Daddy?"

"Shut it."


	30. Chapter 30

_**Here's Chapter 30 - I feel like there may be two more chapters left + an epilogue...and then yes - I swear to God, I'll go back to finishing the third installment of the IAU universe. Cross my heart!**_

* * *

><p>Hermione felt Draco spastically stir next to her as if he was searching for something only stopping when he found what he was looking for - her. She cracked an eye open as she felt him pull her backside into his chest. "We have at least…two and a half hours before we have to get up," she mumbled. "You alright?"<p>

He nodded against the nape of her neck, inhaling her vanilla scent as he sucked in a sharp bit of air. "Just a dream," he murmured against her shoulder blades. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Yawning, Hermione hugged the arm Draco had braced against her upper chest. "It's all right," she whispered. She bent her head down enough to kiss his hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly." Hermione might have been more open to discussing her night terrors when she had them, but Draco never revealed his. He didn't like to dream about losing everything he held near and dear to him, and he didn't think he had the strength to discuss the images that vividly permeated his dreams without breaking down.

She managed to roll over without him letting go of her so she could face him. Hermione grazed his scruffy cheek with her hand and lightly brushed her lips against his. "I love you, you know."

Draco nodded as she kissed him again. "I love you too."

Hermione tucked her face into the crook of his neck as she closed her eyes. It'd been a few days since that wretched man insulted Draco in the alley with the children present, and while she was certain Draco's sullen mood had been a direct result of this, Hermione wished he'd stop living in this space between his past and his present. She didn't understand what made him feel the need to stay silent when accosted by ignorance, instead of defending himself. Hermione didn't understand what made him believe it was his penance in life to pay for his father's heinous misgivings.

She was almost asleep when she heard him mumble. "What was that you asked?" she asked sleepily.

"Do you regret any of it?" he asked, his voice hoarse, tinged with fear that she might say yes.

Wide awake now, Hermione pulled herself upright and stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. "What would…what could I possibly regret, Draco? Honestly - if this is about that idiot in the alley you really need to get your head checked because I don't even know how you could ask me that."

He stifled a yawn as he forced his eyes opened, finding Hermione looking back at him with eyes narrowed. "It was just a question," he muttered, shifting to look away from her but she wasn't about to allow it. "What?" he asked sharply.

She went to speak, but each time she opened her mouth, words failed her. "What do you mean, what?" she finally managed to ask. "You just asked me if I regret any of it - I'm assuming you're referring to our life together, the children we share, your children whom I've loved as my own practically their entire lives. Have I left anything out?"

"Marriage," he muttered, almost spitefully.

"Marriage?" Hermione asked, gasping at the word. "Why…where is this even coming from?"

He shrugged, staring up at the ceiling, as it was easier to do than to look at Hermione. "It's been, what, ten years? Surely you've thought about it."

"Not really," Hermione bluntly replied. "I don't need to be married to be happy. Despite the fact that I'm inches away from beating you, I'm happy with you. I'm happy with our life, and our children. I don't even know where this is coming from but feel free to shut it down."

He finally looked over at her. "So you don't care that we're not married?"

"I have two children with you. Does it look like it's bothering me?"

"Most women would be bothered."

"I know I don't hear you comparing me to most women."

He caught her glare and realized he wasn't just digging himself a hole - but a fucking trench. "Look, just forget it, ok?" he all but begged. "I'm sorry. My head isn't on straight."

Hermione continued to glare. "I don't even know why you're worried about me. You're the one that has kept a bloody engagement ring in your sock drawer for a decade."

That certainly caught his attention. Bolting upright, he leapt out of bed and threw his hands to his hips. "Excuse me?"

"Don't even take that tone with me," Hermione said with a rueful laugh. "Who in the hell do you think puts your socks away?"

"I would assume that the elves - which I pay due to a law _you _created - put my socks away. Not my obviously nosey girlfriend."

"Shows how oblivious you are," Hermione scoffed. "Those elves stopped doing laundry about three months after I moved in. They only did laundry when I was on bed rest and when Katie was in the hospital. And I'll have you know I'm not nosey - I left that bloody box alone for two years. I let two years of birthdays, Christmases, Mother's Days, and every other holiday pass and yes, two years later I pried it open to see what I was missing. I figured you were just waiting for the right time. For someone that's terrified of me leaving, I find it ironic that you can't find a way to propose to me…but eventually, I gave up on it ever happening because at the end of the day - it doesn't matter. I don't have to married to you. It won't change anything between us. It's not going to make me love you more or less."

"I don't know," Draco snarked. "You look pretty pissed right now."

"Just because I want to punch you in the nose for your unbelievable bout of stupidity right now doesn't mean I don't love you - in fact the only reason I'm not punching you is because I _do _love you!" she shouted at him as quietly as possible. "You insufferable pain in the ass!"

Draco marched over to his bureau and yanked open his sock drawer, pulling the small black box out and tossing it in her direction. "May as well wear it if you already know about it."

She instantly threw the box back at him, the box narrowly missing his head before it knocked into the wall. "I don't want that bloody ring! Not like that!"

"Why not?" he asked. "You already know what it is!"

"Because tossing a ring at someone you love and saying 'you may as well wear it' as if you tossed me a clean pair of socks isn't how you _propose_ to someone, you insensitive git!"

He threw his hands up in the air, completely exasperated, exhausted, all the while regretting the fact that he ever woke up and opened his mouth. "I don't know what you want from me, Hermione! You know about the ring, but you don't want the ring. You say you don't regret anything, but how am I supposed to know if that's the truth! For all I know you could just feel sorry for me!"

She didn't even realize she'd begun to cry until the tears dripped from her cheeks. "You think…you think I feel _sorry_ for you? You think I've spent the last ten years…you think our own children…you think all of this is because I feel sorry for you!" Hermione tossed her hands up in the air, letting them drop as she bit her lip, laughing cruelly as a few more tears fell. "Right then," she said.

Walking towards the bedroom door, she jerked her arm away before he could grab it. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Anywhere other than in this room," she plainly replied. "Because if I stay in here any longer…you just might not survive it." Wiping her remaining tears away, she left Draco standing in their room, looking shell shocked as she shuffled her way down the hall until she got to Scorpius' room.

Quietly, she crept into his room and crawled into his bed and peeled back the covers on the other side of Scorp's bed and crawled in as Scorpius rolled his head over towards her direction. "Five more minutes, Mum," he mumbled.

Hermione brushed her hand over his shaggy head as he wiggled closer to her. "Shhh," she whispered, kissing his forehead. "Go back to sleep, sweetheart."

Scorpius mumbled something incoherent as he moved even closer, leaning his head against her arm. Hermione rolled her head to the side of the flannel-covered pillow, almost lulled back to sleep minutes later when she heard Scorpius mumble. "Mum?"

"Yes dear?" she murmured, glad that he couldn't see her tear stained cheeks in the dark.

"Will you…trim my hair…tomorrow?" he asked through a gigantic yawn. "Not cut it…but just the parts that are curling? Dad's right…any longer and it's gonna look like Claire."

Hermione managed to smile to herself despite everything. "Yes dear," she whispered, keeping her voice neutral. The war over Scorpius' hair had reached an all time high this summer, forcing Hermione to call a truce between the father and son. _It's his head, Draco. If he wants to walk around looking like a shaggy dog then it's his prerogative and his alone. _Draco wanted it cut because he thought he looked unkempt, and a bit like a girl. Scorpius wanted it untouched, because his father wanted it cut.

"And Mum?"

"Yes?"

"Just…don't tell Dad it was my idea, ok? Tell him you made me…or something," Scorpius said through another long, drawn out yawn.

Scorpius rolled over to his side and Hermione wrapped her arms around him, kissing the back of his head as she hugged him close. "It'll be our secret," she promised as the two slowly dozed back to sleep. "I love you, Scorp."

"Love you too, Mummy," he mumbled, only calling her 'mummy' when he was dead tired.

* * *

><p>"James! James! James get in here now! James!"<p>

James dropped his bowl in the kitchen sink, not even noticing it shattering as it hit near the drain as he bolted towards the bedroom, expecting the worst at how Anya was shrieking. Instead, he found her standing in their room in a nude lace bra with a matching pair of lace knickers, pointing to the sides of her stomach in horror. "What wrong? Are you ok?"

"I have stretch marks!" she shrieked again. "Look! They're fucking everywhere and they're hideous!"

James had never had the urge to shake Anya before, but at this moment, it was taking everything he had in him to suppress the urge. "Anya," he spoke, rather tensely. "Could you please, do me a favor, and not scream as if there is something terrifyingly wrong with you…because you just bloody well scared the ever living daylights out of me! Stretch marks! Of course you have stretch marks - your body is stretching to accommodate our child that is _growing_ inside of you! What did you think was going to bloody happen!"

Her eyes went wide, then narrowed as she braced her hands against her hips. "Don't yell at me!" she shouted back. "My body is being ruined as we speak and you don't _even_ care!"

As the tears began to well in her eyes, James realized that hormones were driving ninety percent of this conversation, and he dropped his shoulders just a bit. "Your body isn't being ruined," he said, his tone losing its edge. "You look beautiful."

"I look fat!" she hissed, throwing her hands up in the air in disgust before they limply fell back to her sides. "Fat with these stupid, hideous stretch marks…I'll never wear a swim suit again at this rate, and I'm sure I'll be horridly unattractive at the end of this and I'm not even halfway there! I'm only going to get fatter!"

He had a fifty-fifty chance of being smacked by his wife if he went near her, but as the tears started to stream down her cheeks, James realized he was just going to have to risk it. She pulled her arm out of his grasp the moment he approached her, and so he reflexively caught the other, pulling her closer as she did her best to protest. "Stop it," James said, soft but stern as he snagged an arm around her waist. "You're beautiful," he told her.

She sniffled, dropping her head on his shoulder as her tears soaked through the thin white t-shirt he'd slept in the night before. "I feel like I'm going crazy," Anya mumbled.

James chuckled as he kissed her temple. "That I can agree with, love."

"I don't like being all hormonal."

"Believe me, I'm not enjoying it either, YaYa," James teased. "It'll be worth it in the end, though, don't you think?"

Nodding, Anya looked up and wiped her hands against her blushing cheeks, embarrassed by her outburst as she felt James' hands move to the sides of her stomach. "I'm sorry," she said, sniffling again. "First I was excited about my stomach being rounder and I looked at myself in the mirror and I just…I don't know."

James looked down at her as she finally looked up at him. "At least you aren't vomiting anymore," he offered, giving her a kiss.

"No shit," Anya snarked. "That was bloody awful."

"Mmhmm," he agreed.

She felt the back of her bra suddenly unsnap. "And what do you think you're doing?" she inquired in a sassy tone.

He peeled the bra away from her as he walked her back towards the bed. "I've been turned on since I walked in here - which by the way will _never_ stop, regardless of how many stretch marks you wind up with before this pregnancy is over." James peeled his shirt up over his head and Anya quickly peeled her knickers away before climbing onto the bed, watching as he pulled his pajama pants down before crawling on top of her. "In fact, I just might count them," he threatened. "Just so I can keep track of them all."

"You are dead if you count them," Anya warned through a strangled laugh. "Dead meat, James Potter."

"You don't scare me," James replied, his lips kissing one of the few faint, slightly jagged lines that started on her sides and made way around her belly.

Anya looked over at the clock and groaned. "We really don't have time for this. We told Hermione and Dad we'd meet them at the plat-"

She didn't finish her sentence. James place two fingers inside of her, slowly pumping in and out as his thumb massaged circles around her overly sensitive center. "Trust me," he said, pumping his fingers in and out of her a few times before removing them, wiping her juices against his throbbing erection before quickly pushing into her, hooking a leg up over his shoulder as she moaned. "It's not going to take me long."

"James!" she gasped as she felt his mouth latch onto a nipple. "Oh…oh God…"

He let go of her nipple and began to thrust harder as she arched her pelvis up into him. "So beautiful," he mumbled in her ear as he kissed her neck. "Gorgeous. Sexy. Amazing."

She gasped as he rotated his hips with his thrusts, hitting just the right spot. "Please!" she begged. "Please…I need to cum…oh God…make me cum, baby…please!"

James felt her clench tighter around him as he sped up his thrusting, watching as her panting quickened, her mouth gasping with each thrust. He could see was close, and he was too. The moment he felt her release as he screamed his name, he slammed into her once, twice, and a final time as his orgasm exploded inside of her as his hips jerked without abandon for several seconds. "Fuck!" he groaned as his orgasm came to an end, himself pressed as far into Anya as he possibly could be while she caught her breath. He looked down at her, brushing a few strands of her hair back behind her ear. "There is never going to be a day where I'm not insanely attracted to you," he promised. "And believe me when I say that you pregnant…I'm not sure you've ever been sexier to me."

Her eyes were wet again as she smiled up at him. "I don't know how I got so lucky."

He bent down and soundly kissed her lips before pulling out of her. "Neither do I, some days." He laughed as she playfully smacked his bare behind. "And see - we still have plenty of time to shower -"

"Re-shower," Anya said with a look as she climbed out of bed. "Some of us were already clean, you know."

"Well then some of us can just shower with the rest of us," James teased.

"I guess that'll have to do then," Anya replied, feigning an abundant lack of enthusiasm as she sauntered past him towards the bathroom in all her naked glory.

* * *

><p>Katie was always an early riser - a trait she readily inherited from her mother. When she went into her parents bedroom, she could see the light on in the bathroom, and as she got closer, her father's reflection in the mirror as he lathered up his face with shaving cream. She knocked on the door and walked in, waving at her father through the mirror as he smiled. His hands still lathered with extra cream, he motioned for Katie to hop up on the vanity, which she'd become quite adept at as he put the remainder of the shaving cream in his hands on her face. She reached for the spoon he kept in a jar next to his toothbrush and moved so that she was on her knees, facing the mirror, mimicking her father's strokes as she scraped away the shaving cream with the edge of the spoon.<p>

"It's a big week this week, Miss Katie," Draco said, rinsing his razor in the water filled sink. His head was about to explode as he'd been thinking of how to fix things with Hermione, not able to go back to sleep once she left the room, and had no shame in using his youngest as a brief and welcomed distraction.

"It's Hogwarts day," Katie stated demurely, watching her father as he contorted his face to stretch the skin around his lips, mimicking his actions. "I hate it when Claire and Scorp gots to leave."

"But what's tomorrow?"

"Pre-school day!" she exclaimed with a bit more gusto, splashing her spoon around in the sink. Katie had yet to master the art of the subtle rinse.

Draco nodded with a grin, tilting his chin up as he shaved the stubble away from his neck, one eye on the mirror and the other on Katie. He and Hermione had tried speaking with her about the little bout of magic she whipped out of nowhere in the alley, but all she kept reminding them was that you can't do magic outside of Hogwarts, or else they don't let you in. They both tried telling her that it would be ok, that they could show her if she could truly do magic, but she was steadfast. Katie, of course, didn't know that Anya had told Draco and Hermione in the strictest of confidence later that day that their daughter could do controlled, wandless magic better than she could, but nothing he or Hermione did could coax it out of her.

"Daddy?"

"Yes love?"

"What do you think I'll get to do at preschool?"

He shrugged, moving his razor to shave the remaining cheek as she splashed the spoon in the sink. "Well…when your sisters and your brothers went…" Draco stopped for a moment, trying his best to figure out a way to explain to his daughter that she already knows everything they're going to teach her, and his opinion, he thought she was going to be bloody bored after ten minutes. With his face cleanly shaven, he grabbed a towel from the hook and dried his face before playfully mauling Katie's, wiping the streaked remnants of shaving cream away from Katie's face as she giggled. Dropping the towel back on the hook, Draco picked Katie up and wrapped his arms right underneath her bum as she held on with her arms around his neck. "Can Daddy tell you a secret?" he asked.

She nodded. "What kind of secret?"

"A secret about preschool."

"Ok."

Draco sighed a little bit. "You're a very smart little girl. Mummy's taught you a lot of things, and a lot of those things are what most little kids learn how to do in preschool and to be honest, you might be bored…because you already know how to do most, if not all of it."

He could see the little gears in her head turning as she thought about his words. "That's ok," she finally said as the two of them made their way downstairs for breakfast. "Maybe I can be a helper! I like helping, and maybe there will be other kids there who don't know how to do stuff, and I can help!"

"Maybe," Draco said as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I've never been to pre-school, so I don't know how it really works."

"How come you didn't go to pre-school?"

"Daddy was home schooled until he went to Hogwarts…because that's how everyone in Daddy's family went to school."

Katie frowned. "That sounds awfully lonely. How come we go to pre-school if you didn't get to go?"

"Well…your mummy and Uncle Harry talked Aunt Ginny into sending James to pre-school, because that's what they did when they were little because they were raised by muggles. Pre-school is a muggle thing, you know. And when Aunt Ginny agreed it would be best for James to go because Aunt Ginny only went to Hogwarts too. Your mummy convinced me that it would be good for Anya to go too, but her mummy wasn't so sure, because she was like Daddy and Aunt Ginny…and Mummy was right." Draco pushed open the kitchen door and found his son's eating at the kitchen island, Scorp's hair noticeably shorter, yet still too long for his liking. Dropping Katie on the chair between the two boys, he clapped a hand on Scorpius' shoulder and gave him a smile as Hermione put a Katie-sized plate of pancakes, bacon, and fruit in front of their daughter. "Thank you for cutting your hair," he said to Scorpius, all the while biting back any remark about the fact that it could have stood to lose a few more inches.

"Whatever," Scorpius said, shoveling pancakes into his mouth. "Mum made me do it."

Hermione gave Scorpius a look, shaking her head slightly as she went back to scooping more pancakes away from the griddle and onto a serving plate. Draco went over to attempt at some sort of display of affection, but was cut off when Hermione handed him a plate of breakfast instead. "Eat," was all she spoke, forgoing her usual kiss whenever she handed him food.

"Hermione -"

"No," she quietly and inconspicuously replied. "Not here."

Sighing, Draco took his plate over to the kitchen table and took a seat, stabbing a few pieces of eggs forcefully, and then shoved them into his mouth.

"Katie, I put Mr. Bear in your room, so you can keep an eye on him while I'm gone," Scorpius told Katie, trying to cheer her up a bit as she seemed a bit sad that Claire and Scorpius were only going to be home for a little bit longer.

She nodded, picking a strawberry out of the small fruit bowl her mum had put on her plate. "I'll take super good care of him, Scorp."

"I know you will," he replied. "Where's Claire?"

"Right here," Claire replied as she walked through the door, her hair pulled up into a curly ponytail as she wore her striped Slytherin sweater and a pair of black leggings. "And before anyone asks, yes, everything is packed, I double checked everything and if I did forget something, I promise I won't ask you to send it to me - I'll have Grandma and Grandpa do it instead." She reached over to Katie's plate and plucked a piece of melon from her fruit bowl, knowing full well Katie wouldn't eat them. "Hermione - can you put blueberries in my pancakes?"

Hermione already had two blueberry pancakes sitting on a plate with bacon and fruit as she handed it over to Claire. "You act like this is my first pancake rodeo with you," she teased.

"I got down here late - wasn't sure if you made them," Claire reasoned. "Silly thought, I guess."

"I guess," Hermione repeated with a sarcastic scoff as Claire took her plate over to the table where Draco sat. She stabbed the pieces of melon out of her father's fruit bowl as well, popping them into her mouth as Hermione brought a plate over for herself.

Claire watched her father, then Hermione, for a few moments. Breakfast was never a quiet affair, and the two of them weren't uttering a single word. "What's wrong?" she asked both of them.

"Nothing," they chimed in tandem.

"Liars," Claire retorted with a snort. "You two are hardly speak-"

"Claire," Draco warned, pointing his fork towards her plate. "Less talking. More eating."

* * *

><p>Despite their morning activities, James and Anya managed to arrive on the platform a few minutes before they spotted Harry and Ginny with Lily, then Draco and Hermione with everyone else. Katie already looked teary eyed as Draco carried her, Leo holding Hermione's hand as Claire and Scorpius pushed their trunk trollies to the train so they could load their things. Claire reached James and Anya first, on purpose as she gave them both a hug. "Watch it," she warned Anya. "Dad and Hermione are <em>both <em>in a mood. They aren't even _speaking_ to each other."

"What!" Anya exclaimed. "Why?"

"No one knows," Claire replied. "Dad probably said something stupid. Hermione gets mad at him all the time, but you know he did something completely mental if she won't talk to him."

"James! Anya!" Lily exclaimed, skipping towards them as she gave her brother a big hug and then another equally large hug to Anya. "Can you feel it yet?" she asked, placing her hands on her sister-in-law's stomach.

Shaking her head no, Anya reached over and straightened Lily's headband just a touch. "I can, but he's not strong enough for anyone else to feel yet."

"He?" Lily asked.

"It's a girl," James said, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"It's a boy," Anya argued with a laugh.

"I hope it's a girl," Lily said.

"Me too," Claire agreed.

James grinned. "See? Three against one."

"Whatever," she scoffed. "I'm telling you - I have a feeling that it's a boy."

The four of them walked back over where the parents, Katie, Leo, and Scorpius were, and Anya's heart broke just a little as she saw Katie sniffle, brushing her tears away with the sleeve of her sweater. "I hate Hogwarts day," she muttered as Draco gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Claire reached over for Katie and took her from Draco. "We'll write you letters all the time," she promised. "Won't we, Scorp?"

Scorpius nodded. "And now that you can read - Mummy and Daddy won't have to do it for you!"

"That's right!" Claire exclaimed. "That will be fun, won't it?"

Katie nodded a little bit. "I am a good reader now…but I still hate Hogwarts day."

Everyone let out a sympathetic chuckle as Katie dropped her head to Claire's shoulder and sighed. "I'm going to shop for baby things today," Anya said, brushing a hand over her sister's golden brown curls. If you want you can come with me and help."

"Ok," Katie mumbled, still hugging Claire.

Scorpius gave Leo a hug, then his father, and Hermione last. She squeezed him tight and kissed his cheek. "Please study hard," she told him. "I'm expecting better grades this term, ok?"

"I'll do better," he said.

"Good - because if you don't - you can kiss quidditch goodbye," Draco warned. "Your mother and I aren't wavering on that."

He nodded and sighed. "Yes, Dad. I'll do better…but I can't make any promises when it comes to divination."

"As long as everything else is good we'll let that rubbish class slide," Draco replied.

Scorpius looked over at Hermione, who nodded in agreement. "Ok," he said.

"You can study with me if you want to, Scorp," Lily offered.

"Ok," Scorpius replied, not wanting to take help from a girl, but Lily was practically another sister, and he knew she's actually try and help, unlike Claire who would just get frustrated and give up after three minutes. "Thanks, Lily."

She smiled. "No problem. I'm going to go catch a seat on the train."

"Yeah," Claire said. "We should too." She handed Katie to Anya but James intercepted Katie as she buried her little face into his chest. Claire kissed her little sister's tear stained cheek as she began to cry. "Don't be sad, Katie. We'll see you before you know it! And I'll send a letter tonight - I promise."

As Katie continued to cry, Claire kissed Hermione and her father goodbye. "Don't give your teachers any trouble this term, alright?" Hermione said.

"I don't make promises I can't keep," Claire cheekily replied. "But you'll be at the first quidditch game, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Draco replied, giving his daughter a hug. "Take care of your brother, and keep an eye out for Lily."

Claire nodded. "I always do." She walked over and gave Leo a high five, which he enthusiastically returned. "One more year, and you're coming with us," she said with a laugh. "So work on your Slytherin skills so you can hang with us - or else you're going to be seeing a whole lot of red and gold in your future."

"Do I have to be sorted into Slytherin for you and Scorpius to hang out with me?" Leo said, panic stricken.

"Of course not!" Hermione reassured her son.

Draco lightly smacked Claire in the arm. "Why do you say shit like that to him? You know it winds him up!"

"Because it's funny," Claire said with a laugh. "Don't worry, Leo. Even if you don't get into Slytherin next year, we'll still hang with each other. We Malfoys stick together, after all."

"Just be more like me," Scorpius suggested. "You'll get into Slytherin no problem."

"Get on the train," Draco ordered, giving his son a playful glare. "Go."

Claire and Scorpius both gave Hermione one more kiss before running off to the train car where most of Slytherin house was gathering.

Harry looked down at his daughter, a beautiful, much tamer version of his wife, and gave her a big hug. "You let us know if you need anything, alright?"

"Yes Daddy," she replied, and went over to give her mother a hug. "Bye, Mum," she said. "I'll write you when I get there, promise."

"Of course," Ginny replied, tugging at the zipper of her jumper slightly. "And maybe you can think about trying out for quidditch this year?"

Lily smiled, and shook her head. "I'd rather just help keep score."

Hermione laughed. "I'm with you on that one, Lily."

"I swear, she looks like me and acts like you," Ginny teased, and to her relief, earned a genuine smile from Hermione.

"It's the best of both worlds," Harry said, giving his daughter one more kiss. "Now scoot before you miss the train!"

Lily nodded, giving Anya a quick hug and James a side hug as he still held a crying Katie. "I'll write you a letter too, Katie," Lily offered. "Have fun at preschool!"

"Ok," Katie whimpered.

"Be good, Lily," James said with a playful pointed finger.

She laughed. "I'm always good." Lily looked around the platform one more time, standing on her tip toes as if it would vainly help her see over people twice her height. "I guess Teddy isn't going to make it."

Harry, Draco, and James scanned the platform as Hermione gave her niece a hug. "I'm sure he has a really good reason for missing it," she reassured him. "You're his favorite, after all."

Harry and Draco had given up searching as the train blew its first warning whistle. Just then, James spotted a teal headed, gawky man pushing and rushing towards them. "There he is," James pointed out, shaking his head as Teddy found a clear path to them. "Buy a watch, man," he scolded as Teddy reached them.

Teddy gave James the finger, which earned him a swat from both Hermione and Ginny as he halfway dodged them both. "Sorry - Victoire came home early last night and -"

"We don't need details," Harry interrupted. "Please."

Lily flung her arms up around Teddy and giggled as he spun her around twice. Kissing each of her cheeks, he put her down and braced his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry I was late. Do you forgive me?"

She gave him a quick nod. "I always forgive you."

"Which is why you're my favorite," Teddy confessed. "I love you, Lily flower."

"I love you too, Teddy bear," she replied, using their childhood nicknames they gave each other when Lily was four. "Write to me?"

"I have a fresh stack of parchment all ready to go," he promised. The second - and last - warning whistle echoed through the platform. "Tell me when Hogsmeade weekend happens and I'll meet you there, ok?"

"Ok!" she exclaimed. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she gave everyone a final wave and dashed off to the train.

James shook his head, a playful scowl on his face as he nodded his head in Teddy's direction. "How is it that you got to be her favorite again?"

"Because I was the novelty kid that had a time-share between your house and my grandmother's," Teddy replied with a grin. He saw Katie sniffling against his brother's shoulder as James rubbed small circles on her back. "Still hating Hogwarts Day, eh?"

"Oh yes," Hermione said with a pitiful laugh. "Until she gets to go, that is, and then it will be Mummy hating Hogwarts day." Draco moved to put his arm, albeit somewhat hesitantly, around Hermione's waist, and it was nearly noticed by all when she didn't make any move to step closer to him, as she always did. "Well then," Hermione said, clapping her hands and stepping forward so that Draco's arm was forced to fall back to his side. "Leo, if Katie is spending the day with Anya, do you have any requests before school starts tomorrow?"

Leo shrugged. "Hey Teddy? Did you know I got a dragon? It's a lizard, really, but it's called a bearded dragon!"

Teddy gave the little man a high five as he grinned. "Wicked - is it huge?"

"It's gigantic," Anya answered with a shiver to accompany her look of sheer disgust. "And scaly, and gross."

"It's not that gross," Katie chimed in, looking up slightly as she rubbed her red eyes.

"You want to come see it?" Leo asked. "You can even hold it!"

Teddy overly gesticulated with his hands and face to express his shock and amazement as Leo laughed. "Of course I want to come and see it!" he proclaimed. He didn't have a real job, much to both Harry and Ginny's dismay. He worked odd jobs and helped out George at the shop when he was bored, but Teddy was content to live off of his inheritance while Victoire did her healer training in Paris. Harry knew he would settle when he found something he genuinely liked to do - he just hoped Teddy would find it sooner rather than later. Teddy would tell Harry and Ginny that Victoire wanted kids but didn't want to stay at home all day with them, whereas he thought that would be a pretty awesome gig - and there wasn't a joking tone in his voice when he said it.

"Can Teddy come over?" Leo asked his mother.

"Teddy never needs permission to come over," Hermione replied with a warm smile.

Draco pulled his wallet out of his pocket and pulled a few bank notes out and handed them to Anya. It was a grand and glorious day for the pockets of the wizarding world when Gringotts decided to create and use bank notes. "In case Katie sees something she wants today," he said, but Anya shook her head.

"We're not poor, Dad," Anya said with a laugh. "I can take care of Katie for a day."

He scowled, but Anya clearly wasn't taking the money as he shoved it back into his wallet.

"Leo, say goodbye to Daddy," Hermione instructed as she shifted her purse strap on her shoulder while moving to give Harry a hug.

"You ok?" Harry whispered in her ear as she squeezed him a little bit tighter than usual.

She nodded subtly. "I'm fine," she whispered back.

Harry knew she was lying, but also knew better than to press the issue here as she gave Ginny a hug as well.

Draco squatted down to Leo's height and hugged him, watching Hermione as she hugged Harry, the two of them appearing to silently communicate with one another. He caught Anya looking at him and shook it off, turning his attention back to Leo. "You be good for Mummy today," he told his son.

"Do you have to work late?" Leo asked.

"Only a little bit," he promised, as he was already missing work to be at the Platform. "But not a lot. I'll be home for dinner."

Leo nodded. "Daddy?" he asked quietly.

"Yes?"

"Are you and Mummy having a row?"

Draco frowned, and ruffled his son's white blond locks. "Daddy just said something really stupid," he said with a resigned sigh. "But I'll fix it, I promise."

"Ok," Leo said. "You should get Mummy flowers. That might cheer her up."

_If only it were that easy_, he thought to himself, though he couldn't very well repeat it to his son. "Oh really?" he said instead. "And what sort of flowers do you think Mummy would like?"

Leo scrunched his nose in a very Hermione-like way as he thought about what sort of flowers his mother would like best. "Daffodils," he decided after a few minutes. "When we planted in the garden this summer, Mummy said she loved the smell of daffodils."

He kissed the top of his head and nodded towards Hermione. "I'll make a note of that. Have fun with Teddy, ok?"

"Ok! Love you!"

"Love you too," he replied, standing back upright as his knees slightly popped. He walked over and managed to give Hermione a kiss on the cheek, but all he could wonder if was if she didn't pull away because they had an audience of adults. "I'll be home by dinner," he said.

"Alright," she clipped, moving away from him as she walked over to kiss Katie and Anya goodbye.

Draco stood with his arms folded across his chest as he watched Hermione wrap her arm around Leo as the two of them walked with Teddy and Ginny back towards the Muggle entrance. Turning around, he walked over and took Katie from James and gave her two big kisses, one on each cheek. "Cheer up, darling," Draco said to her as he nuzzled his nose against hers. "You're going to have a fun day with your sister."

Katie nodded. She put her little hands on his face and smiled. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, buttercup," Draco replied.

"Dad?" Anya asked as Draco put Katie down. "Is everything ok with you and Hermione?"

"We're fine," he bluntly replied.

"But Claire said -"

"Claire thinks she knows more than she does," Draco all but snapped.

Anya rolled her eyes at her father. "Please. I'm not an idiot. We all could see it."

"I don't wish to discuss this in front of -" he stopped speaking and nodded his head in Katie's direction. "So drop it."

Anya pulled her wand and a book from her purse. She handed Katie the book and then casted a silencing charm around her. "Speak."

"Anya," Harry said, knowing something was up but by the look on Draco's face and the tone of Hermione's voice earlier − it definitely didn't need to be discussed on the platform of all places. "Why don't you and Katie run along? James, Draco, and I need to be getting to the Ministry anyway -"

"No!" Anya exclaimed. "What did you?" she asked, looking at Draco. "You better fix it - whatever it is. Hermione barely let you near her and -"

"You want to know!" he hissed. "I'll bloody tell you what happened. Hermione knew about that fucking ring and has known about practically the entire time I've had it - so I went ahead and gave it to her and she said she didn't want it! There! You happy! I bloody asked her to marry me and she - said - no."

She clapped a hand over her mouth. "Dad…Dad I…she said no?"

"She said no."

Harry scratched the back of his head, his brow furrowed as he looked at Draco. "She really said no?"

"Yes! I fucking gave her the ring and told her she may as well have it since she knew about it and she went completely mental."

Harry dropped his head, James held a fist to his mouth, and Anya looked at her father, completely horrified, before smacking him in the arm. "You're the biggest idiot I've ever met in my life! No wonder she said no! How could you ask her like that! Have you no sense at all? For the love of Mer -"

The sound of his daughter's voice was grating against the last nerve he had as he squeezed his eyes shut, digging his thumb and forefinger into the corners of his eyes while he pinched the bridge of his nose. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and he felt that last nerve snap. "Just shut up Astoria!" he shouted. "You have no idea what happened this morning, you have no idea how Hermione and I work regardless of how much you think you know so will you just shut up!"

"_Don't tell me to shut up!" Astoria shouted back at her husband as the two of them rowed in the middle of Draco's office after dropping Anya off at Kings Cross for the first time. "I saw the way you looked at her. I saw you hug her!" _

"_I hardly hugged her, Astoria," Draco snarked. "Granger fucking hugs everyone. It's like a nervous tick of hers she can't control." _

_Astoria perched her hands on her hips. "You certainly weren't trying to stop it." _

_Draco threw his hands up in the air. "You can't stop her when she tries to hug you! You fucking can't stand to be touched half the time and she hugs you! It's what she fucking does! Short of throwing her off of me, it's just easier to stand there and let it happen!" _

"_Except you hugged her back!" Astoria cried. "You never hug me like that!" _

"_You never give me the chance!" _

_Neither one of them noticed Claire standing in the doorway, eyes welling with tears as she watched her parents fight. "Daddy?" Claire asked. "Daddy?" _

"Dad!" Anya all but shouted, trying to get him to snap out of out it. She reached out and touched his arm as his head jerked upright. "You…you called me Mum's name."

He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose again. "What?"

"You called me Astoria," Anya said, her voice quiet.

Draco looked up at her and frowned. "I didn't."

"You did," Harry confirmed. "You sure you're alright, mate?"

Sighing, Draco shook his head as his shoulders dropped. "I'm not. I was an idiot…she's right pissed at me…and I have no idea how to fix it."

Harry clapped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You have to go talk to her."

"She won't listen."

"Make her," James insisted. "She'll listen if you're sincere about it."

* * *

><p>With Leo occupied with Teddy in his room, Hermione shut herself in her room, pulling her heels from her feet and tossing them in the general direction of the closet. She was exhausted, peeling away her blouse and her skirt and trading them in for a pair of knit pants and one of Draco's fleece pullovers. It smelled like him, and calmed her nerves as she crawled into bed, lying on his side. The ring box was sitting in the middle of the bed, and Hermione refused to touch it. Instead, she closed her eyes and buried her nose in the neck of the pullover she wore, wishing that things were different. She knew he had been rattled since the weekend in the alley. The rational part of her brain knew he didn't mean what he was asking, or even implying. Hermione could see it on his face, his lips voicing the fears that would always inhabit his subconscious.<p>

She had no idea how to convince him that everything he was afraid of was rubbish. Hermione didn't understand how the life they'd created together over the past ten years wasn't enough proof for him.

Hermione brushed away a pair of tears that fluttered down her cheek. She never should have mentioned that she knew about the ring. She knew it would press a button - which was why she said it - but she never should have told him she knew that he had that stupid, beautiful ring in his drawer. The same stupid, beautiful ring that now hid in a box and was sitting mere inches from her face.

Sighing, she heard a knock on the door. Wiping the remnants of any tears away, she saw up and cleared her throat before calling out. "Come in!"

Teddy poked his head in, his tresses shifting to a demure brown as looked at her. "Um, Draco's downstairs."

"He's supposed to be at work."

"Well…he isn't," Teddy said with a laugh. "I saw you two earlier - if you want I can take Leo out for a bit."

She placed a hand on her cheek, before dragging it down and over her mouth. "That's fine," she mumbled through her hand.

Teddy nodded. "Aunt Hermione?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I don't know what he did - and I reckon it was something bloody stupid based on your face right now and his face downstairs…but he looks sorry."

Hermione snorted. "I'm sure he does."

Teddy grimaced. "Yes, well, I'll go ahead and take Leo out for a bit. Maybe we'll go get tattoos or something."

"Theodore Remus Lupin that isn't funny!" Hermione exclaimed.

Laughing, he blew an exaggerated kiss to his aunt. "Fine then - piercings."

"That child better return to me as he is," she playfully warned.

"Like I'd really do that to one of your children," Teddy replied. "I'll bring little Leo back safe and sound."

"Thank you," Hermione replied, giving him a wave as he disappeared from the door. Swinging her legs back into bed, she curled up against his pillow and sighed as she crossed her arms against her chest. She couldn't believe he was here, that he completely blew off work, but a small part of her was glad he came back home, instead of letting it stew all day.

She didn't bother moving when she heard the door to the bedroom quietly open and close. Hermione kept her arms folded across her chest as she felt the bed shift when Draco crawled in behind her, burying his face in her neck as he sighed. She heard him whisper, "I'm sorry," against the nape of her neck as his arms wrapped around her, but she kept her arms braced against her.

Hermione bit her lips together as her tears streamed down her cheeks again. She and Draco had definitely had their rows, but she was pretty sure the last time she made him cry like this was the night they got pregnant with Leo. "I don't even know how you could act…like everything that I've done…for the past ten years is because I feel sorry for you. That was…that is possibly the most hurtful thing…you have ever said to me."

"I was upset," Draco murmured, as he shifted his chin to her shoulder. "I didn't mean it."

"You did mean it," Hermione argued. "You wouldn't have said it if you didn't mean it."

Draco sighed. "I didn't mean it in the way you thought I meant it."

She managed to slip a hand up to wipe her tears away without Draco letting go. "There's really only one way to interpret the majority of what you said, Draco."

"I know you don't feel sorry for me," Draco said, his voice quivering with each word. "I know you don't regret our life together. I hate that I made you feel that way."

Hermione sniffled. "I hate that you even had the thought."

"It wasn't a thought!" he pleaded. "It was my temper lashing out. I didn't know you knew about the ring and when you did…I was embarrassed…and ashamed. I've wanted to give it to you so many times and each time I just…didn't want it do what I did early this morning, which was ruin everything."

"You didn't ruin everything," Hermione weakly replied.

"But you're mad at me."

"I'm disappointed in you."

Draco sighed. Disappointment from Hermione Granger was infinitely worse than her anger, and anyone that knew Hermione was well aware of that fact. "Tell me how to fix this."

Hermione shrugged as more tears fell. Reaching an arm out as best as she could, she grabbed the box from the bed and pried one of his hands away from her arm and shoved the box into it. "Just put this away," she whispered. "Please."

Sighing again, he let go of Hermione and crawled out of the bed, box in hand. He walked over to his bureau, and yanked his sock drawer open and tossed the box inside. Shutting the drawer, he jerked his tie off of his neck and unbuttoned the neck of his shirt while stepping out of his shoes. "I'm not going to work today," he told her.

"Fine," Hermione replied as she shifted over to her side of the bed.

"I showed Anya that ring the day that man tried to hex me in the alley," Draco said, abruptly switching topics as he braced a hand against the back of his neck. "I told her how long I'd had it, and that I'd never given it to you because I was terrified of burdening you with the Malfoy name, and that the best thing that could happened to our daughters is that they will get married and lose the name. I wish it could be the same for our sons."

Hermione looked over at Draco and scowled. "That's almost the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say."

"It's true, Hermione."

"It's not, Draco," she argued. "The Malfoy name hasn't burdened our children, and I never would have looked at it as a burden. Granted, it took me forever to get my name back to Granger after I divorced Ron, so I might not have even changed my name, but it never would have been because I was ashamed of it."

Draco choked out a laugh. "Anya said the same thing. About you not changing your name."

"I'm sure she did."

"I told her what happened after you left with Leo…and she yelled at me and I don't know what happened, because suddenly I was yelling at her like I used to yell at Astoria - fuck, I even called her Astoria - and then I remembered…I don't know…it was a fight I had often with Astoria and I just…I don't know! Fuck! I don't know why what happened in the alley has affected me this badly but it has and I'm sorry that I can't just make it better, ok! I'm sorry!"

Hermione sat up in bed and stared at him as she brought her knees to her chest. "You've never had the children with you before - when something like that has happened."

Draco's pale face was red from all the shouting as his shoulders dropped. "It's happened with Anya. When she was little."

"This was different," Hermione plainly stated. "It was our children, who haven't really been exposed to your world before you and I became you and I."

"Why should any of that matter?"

"Because it exposed your past to them, to our children who adore you and see you as a superhero of sorts. Katie just thinks there was a mean man at the alley. Leo on the other hand had to be told a whole lot more than we ever told Scorpius last year. You feel vulnerable now."

Frowning, Draco crossed his arms against his chest. "So what, you're going to psychoanalyze me now instead of being mad at me?"

"No," she snapped. "And I'm not mad - I'm disappointed. And I don't have to psychoanalyze you to know that you feel vulnerable. I know that's how you feel because that's the only time you say and assume incredibly stupid things to me - like insinuating that I am regretting the life I've built with you, and staying with you because I feel sorry for you, or that I'm going to leave you!" Leaping out of the bed, she marched over to Draco and smacked a fist into his chest as he yelped. "The most insulting thing about all of this is that you continue to this day to find ways to doubt how much I love you - after all this time!"

He stood there, staying nothing as he let her pound on his chest a few more times before she started to cry again. As her fists stopped, she buried her face in his chest and sobbed, and it was all he could do to keep himself upright as he hugged her close, his own eyes wet with tears that he refused to let fall. "I don't doubt it," he said hoarsely as she finally looked up at him. "I don't," he promised. "I just know…I know I'm not good enough for you."

"I never would have raised children with you if I didn't think you were good enough," Hermione honestly replied, her cheeks stained with tear tracks. "There's only a handful of people in our lives whose opinion of you matters, and they all have the same opinion as me."

Draco nodded. "I'm sorry I'm so screwed up. I'm sorry I hurt you, and that I disappointed you. I promise I'll find a way to make it up to you."

She buried her face into his chest again and sighed. "You want to make it up to me?" she asked, her voice muffled as she spoke into his shirt.

"Desperately."

Looking back up at him, Hermione stood up on her tiptoes and chastely kissed his lips. "Stop being an idiot. Stop assuming that I don't love you as much as I do. Stop assuming that one day I'm going to wake up and leave you. Stop assuming you aren't good enough for me because I decided I wanted you just as much as you wanted me. Stop assuming that I'm ashamed of you, of your name, of your past, because I would gladly take your last name and dare _anyone_ to question where my loyalties lie - and damn those that do."

Draco let go of her; weaving his hands through her hair as he bent down to kiss her. It was soft and sweet as she wrapped her arms up around his neck. Pressing his forehead to hers as he pulled away, he closed his eyes and sighed. "Does that mean you'll marry me?" he mustered up the courage to ask.

"Only if you don't toss that bloody box at me," she whispered before catching her lips with his again.

He reached behind him and opened the drawer, prying open the box and pulling out the ring. "Give me your hand," he whispered against her lips.

She did as he asked, and watched as he slid the ring down her left ring finger with ease. She admired the beauty and femininity of the gold braided brand, and was in awe of the small red rubies surrounding the nicely sized diamond in the middle. It wasn't something she'd ever pick out - she'd thought that the moment she opened that blasted box all those years ago - but as it reached the base of her finger, Hermione realized that it was nothing but perfect.

"So is that a yes?" he asked, lacing his right hand with her left hand.

Hermione looked up at him. "On one condition."

"Name it."

She looked at him with pleading eyes. "I'm so tired…and I just really, _really_, want to take a nap." Smirking, Draco pulled her back towards the bed and turned down the bed with a jerk of his free hand. He crawled in first and pulled her in afterwards, feeling as if a huge weight had somehow dissolved from his gut as she wrapped her body around him. "This doesn't get you off the hook for your stupidity earlier this morning," she warned, though it was hardly threatening as she spoke through a yawn.

He hugged her close as he stifled a yawn of his own. "Believe me, I didn't think it would."

"Good," she stated.

"I promise," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "I'll make it up to you."

Hermione yawned again as she draped a leg across one of his. "You better."


	31. Chapter 31

**_Sorry it's taken me ages to update. Between the holiday and work, well, I've been busy. I've also not given up on the last installment of IAU - Show Me What I'm Looking For. Once this story is finished (it has a couple chapters including an epilogue left) I will finish that story with gusto, and then apologize profusely for taking so long for doing so. My head just can't be in two D/H universes as once. _**

**_Also - if you're into R/H fanfiction - I will shamelessly plug my very long, R/H one shot I wrote in a day while trapped in the airport, attempting to break the writer's block I had for this story and SMWILF. Even if you aren't a R/H fan - just give them different names - and I still think it winds up being a really sweet story.  
><em>**

**_Ok - no more plugging. I hope you like this chapter...it's been hell pulling it out of my head.  
><em>**

* * *

><p>"Dance with me."<p>

Anya, arms deep in the kitchen sink with suds, looked over her shoulder at James, who had turned on the radio to a slow, melodic song with a beautiful, albeit slightly sad melody. "Right now?" she asked.

James nodded. "Right now."

Scratching the inevitable itch she always got at the end of her nose when washing dishes with a brush of her shoulder, she rinsed and dried off her hands with a nearby towel. With only three months to go in her pregnancy, she was fully embracing the world of elastic band pants, as she was completely unaware that they made these sorts of maternity pants in all styles, though she favored her black maternity leggings, as they were the most comfortable of the bunch. Tugging the sleeves of her ruby red sweater down her arms, she waddled towards him, while doing her best not to appear as if she was in fact waddling, and took the outstretched hands that were waiting for her.

The prominent bump protruding from Anya's stomach only made it slightly awkward, but neither cared. James rested his hands on either side of Anya's bump as she held her hands behind his neck, lacing her fingers together as his forehead leaned down, pressing against hers. The two of them swayed to the music, eyes closed. Anya sighed with a content hum, her nose nuzzling against his. "I wish you didn't have to leave tomorrow."

James sighed. He didn't want to leave tomorrow either. But he made a deal with the Auror office - if he went on this mission, which involved illegal smuggling and mistreatment of endangered magical creatures, he wouldn't be sent on any missions after the baby was born for at least sixteen months. He had no idea how long he would be gone, but he was told by the lead Auror that he didn't see this taking more than a month, due to the information they'd already gathered. "I'll be back before you know it."

"Not possible," she mumbled. "I already miss you and you aren't even gone yet."

"I'm sorry," was the only reply he could think of as he rubbed soothing circles on her belly with his hands.

Anya shook her head slightly. "It's fine. I'd rather you go now than later too." She felt the baby kick, right against James' hand, and smiled a little. "He agrees, too."

"I still say it's a girl," James replied.

She looked up at him and smirked. "I'm telling you - it's a boy."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Mother's intuition," Anya retorted as the baby kicked again, a little harder than last time as she winced slightly.

James rubbed the offending spot as he looked down at his wife's stomach. "Be easy on your Mummy," he instructed his baby.

Laughing, Anya kissed James' cheek as the song ended and a commercial came over the airwaves. "He's probably just unhappy that I've been moving around all day, cleaning and such."

He frowned at his wife as she went back towards the small kitchen, pulling up her sleeves as she walked. "Maybe you should take it easy then," James suggested, walking over to her and gently catching her elbow before she could return to the remaining dishes. His request fell on deaf ears as she went back to the dishes, but he knew this was what she did. Any time he was preparing to go on an auror mission, regardless of the anticipated amount of time he would be gone, she went into a spring cleaning sort of mode, and nothing was left undone. Beds were always made, laundry was always done, and the flat in general was spotless - and none of it was done with a charm. It was funny to everyone how 'Muggle' the two of them had become since graduation, but it was mostly second nature to them. Anya always kept her wand in her purse for emergencies, but James out of habit with his job, kept his on him at all times.

While she went back to the dishes, James walked down the hall to their master bathroom, where he wrenched the handles of the large, clawed bathtub and tossed in some of her favorite lavender scented bubbles. He couldn't believe it when he got the assignment dropped on his desk last week, but there were already four guys in his unit who were off long distance missions because their wives just had babies as well, so there was no way of getting out of it. Before, when he was sent away on missions that lasted days or weeks at a time, Anya had ballet to distract her, and all James could do was hope that there was enough planning left to do with the baby to help her pass the time.

With a heat charm on the water so it didn't cool down, James shut the water off and went to look for his wife, who was finishing up the last dish in the sink. "Come with me," he said, holding a hand out to her as she dried her hands for the last time on the dishtowel.

She gave him a look. "You know I won't do goodbye sex." The first time James had to go away for his job, he wanted to do something special for his then-girlfriend, and planned a romantic evening for the two of them. Dinner was wonderful, the movie they brought back to the house was great, but when James went to kiss her, she pressed a hand into his chest and stared at him with watery eyes. _I love you. I hate your job, but I love you, so I respect your job…but I won't have goodbye sex with you. I'll welcome you home any way you want, but this isn't the first time you'll have to leave me, and I won't treat each time you're leaving like you aren't coming back. Because you will come back to me in one piece. There is no other option._

James rolled his eyes in a dramatic fashion, which was really him imitating her when he mocked her. "I drew you a bath."

A smile tugged at the corners of her lip. "Did you now."

"I even put your smelly bubbles in there."

She laughed. "Well, if you put my 'smelly bubbles' in there, how could I possibly refuse?" Taking his hand, she let him pull her back towards the bedroom. "Are you going to take it with me?"

"I will if you want me to."

She stepped out of her black flats and began to peel her clothing away. "I do. My back has been bothering me for most of the evening."

James stopped to stare at her, his shirt pulled over his head but still trapped through his arms. "Define bothering."

"Do you not see the size of this stomach?" she asked while unhooking her bra. "Your child is heavy, and it's not like he can be put down."

"Well, again, might I suggest that you take it easy," James replied, keeping an even tone in his voice while tossing his shirt in the direction of the hamper. "I don't want to have to worry that you're going to be doing things you shouldn't be doing while I'm away."

She rolled her eyes, peeling her underwear away as she grabbed all of her clothes, walked them to the hamper, and then picked up James' clothes that almost made it there. "My back, my legs, my bloody breasts - everything hurts regardless of what I do, James."

This statement didn't make James happy as he made sure to put the remainder of his clothing into the hamper before following his wife into the bathroom. He helped her into the hot bath first, waiting for her to get situated before he slid in behind her. He leaned back and to the side as she pulled her long black locks up and tied them into a messy bun, then leaned back against his chest and sighed. "I'm sorry I have to go," he mumbled, taking one of her weird, body sponges he had no real comprehension of because a simple flannel worked just fine for him, and soaked it in the water before bringing it back up to her neck.

"Stop apologizing," she replied, letting her head fall to one side as James washed her neck and shoulder. "It's part of your job."

"Doesn't mean I like it."

"It doesn't mean I like it…either," she said, her breath hitching as she felt a sharp cramp in her side.

James watched as she pressed a hand into the side of her stomach for a moment. "Are you ok?"

Still wincing, she nodded, exhaling as the pain began to subside. "It's just a side stitch I think. I used to get them in dance."

"But there wasn't a baby in you then," James said with worry.

"It's fine," Anya promised, trying to get comfortable again as she leaned her neck back against his shoulder, looking up at him. She reached an arm up around James' neck and raked her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Grinning, James bent his head down and softly kissed her lips. "I love it when you tell me secrets."

She laughed, kissing him again. "Despite the fact that I'm gigantic and sore, I really like being pregnant."

"Well that's probably a good thing, because she's probably going to want siblings."

"_He_ will definitely get siblings," Anya replied. "I'd like our children to be closer in age so they can play with each other."

James nodded, his hands now in the water, slowly massaging her lower back as she closed her eyes. "How many do you want, anyway?"

She hummed, leaning into his hands as he found a knot that he was slowly working out with his thumbs. "I don't know…three or four."

"Three or four? Really?" he asked, pleasantly surprised.

Anya opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I've already done everything I've ever wanted to do. I've had an amazing career. I've been to some of the most amazing and greatest cities in the world. I married my _very best_ friend, and now all I want to do is be a brilliant wife and mother. It might sound lame, but being a mum is what I've been looking forward to the most."

He kissed her again, his hands rubbing over her belly underneath the water as she shifted as best as she could, to reach him at a better angle. "You're amazing," James mumbled against her lips, his hands brushing up against the growing fullness of her breasts - breasts she did not have two months ago much to both of their amusement. "I still can't believe you married me."

"I can't believe you wanted to marry me," was her breathy reply.

"You definitely lucked out there," he teased.

She was completely ready to splash her husband senseless when another cramp came over her lower abdomen, ten times stronger than the first one. She gasped from the pain, her hands immediately going to her stomach as James all but leapt out of the tub as carefully as he could, securing a towel around his waist while Anya squeaked with pain. "Ok," she managed to gasp. "Something's wrong."

* * *

><p>It was movie night at the Malfoy home, and because Draco hadn't been feeling all that well during the day, they decided to host movie night upstairs in their room, with Leo and Katie snuggled between them while <em>Mary Poppins <em>played on the screen in front of them. By the choice of movie, it was obvious that it was Katie's turn to pick, and she either wanted _Mary Poppins _or _Bedknobs and Broomsticks_. Hermione at first thought he was coming down with a virus, but he didn't have a fever. He just kept saying he felt off - whatever that meant. He barely ate lunch or dinner, and kept moving his arms about as if his joints were bothering him.

"Mary Poppins is such a lovely lady," Katie said through a gigantic yawn, curled up next to Draco. "Don't you think so, Daddy?"

"Of course," he replied, humoring his daughter as he had no real interest in the movie, but was glad it was somewhat ignorable for him as he could rest his eyes for short periods of time. His arm twinged again and he did his best to work it out without jostling his daughter all over the place. _Maybe I am catching a virus_, he thought to himself. He hadn't felt this achy since he caught dragon pox as a child. He glanced over at Hermione, who was blinding eating popcorn with Leo as the two of them sat with the popcorn bowl on both of their laps. How she managed to not look a day different than she did when she moved in was beyond him. The years were starting to show on his face, along with his slowly receding hairline, but Hermione hadn't aged a bit. She'd argue otherwise with him, pointing out the stray grays in her hair when she'd find them, but if that was all she could come with, but Draco didn't consider the argument valid.

Hermione could feel Draco staring at her as she reached an arm over, as Leo was between them, and carefully rubbed the back of his neck with her hand. "Are you feeling any better?" she asked him quietly as their children had their eyes glued to the television.

He shrugged, chewing the inside of his cheek to keep from making any sound as her fingers massaged the nape of his neck. "Maybe I am catching something," he mumbled.

She looked at him, pursing her lips together. "Maybe a pepper up potion would help."

"I'll never go to sleep," he replied.

"I could give you a draught."

"I'll never wake up in the morning."

Hermione sighed. She knew he didn't feel good, and when he didn't feel good he argued with everything because nothing she suggested was ever going to be the right solution. Instead, she continued rubbing his neck with her attention turning back to the movie.

"Mum?"

"Yes darling," Hermione said, looking down at Leo.

"Can we paint my room?"

Hermione looked over at Draco, who didn't appear to have an opinion. "Do you not like the blue anymore?"

"No, I like blue," Leo replied. "I just think it should be green. Slytherin is green, and Scorp's room is green, and maybe this way, it'll help me next year so I get to be in the same house as Scorp and Claire."

She hardly had the heart to tell her son that even though he looked just like his brother, his nature in general screamed Gryffindor. "Sweetheart, even if you get sorted into a different house, Hogwarts isn't like it was when Daddy and I were there. The different houses mingle with each other all the time. It's not separated like it used to be."

Leo appeared to be thinking about his mother's words as Hermione removed her hand from Draco's neck and used it to brush some of Leo's blond locks away from his face. While his brother's hair curled at the ends, Leo's was stick straight, just like Anya's. "I've waited forever to go to Hogwarts," Leo finally said. "If I get there and I still don't get to see them…it won't be any different than it is now."

She kissed his head and gave him a hug. "I'm going to tell you what Uncle Harry told Albus when he left for Hogwarts - and that's if it really means that much to you, the Sorting Hat will take your choice into consideration. But ultimately, the hat will place you where it sees you thriving best. But don't worry so much about it now, ok? You've still got a while before next school year."

Nodding, Leo took another handful of popcorn and crammed it into his mouth as Hermione shook her head. "Mummy? When YaYa has her baby, I'll be an uncle, right?"

"You certainly will be," Hermione answered.

Leo grinned. "Wicked."

Draco chuckled at his son's enthusiasm. Cracking an eye open, he could see that Katie was already asleep against him, which made him smile. He was going to miss this the most when Katie got older, as she was the only real snuggler left out of his five children. He had the added benefit that she was a girl, and the girls snuggled longer than the boys as they got older, but she, like the rest of his children, would eventually grow up. "Leo - being a Gryffindor wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to you," he said quietly, bringing the conversation back to Hogwarts. "Your mother happens to be one of the most famous Gryffindor's of them all."

"But you're famous too, Dad."

"Your mother is famous. I am infamous. Don't get them confused," Draco dryly replied. He carefully pulled his passed out daughter on top of him, holding her carefully as he climbed out of bed. "I'm going to put this one to bed."

"Do you want me to do it?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine." He carried her out of their bedroom and down the hall, chuckling at how she could sleep through anything. Draco carefully placed her in bed, pulling her covers all the way up to her chin just how she liked it, and put Scorpius' Mr. Bear in her arm, which she instinctively hugged close to her as Katie sighed in her sleep. He kissed her cheek, ran a hand softly over her curly ponytail, and made his way back to his own room. The sound of the floo up in the study, however, changed his direction. Before he was halfway there, he saw Harry rounding the corner of the hallway, with Hermione's parents in tow. "What the hell?" he asked.

Harry took a breath as he scratched the back of his neck. "James just sent me a patronus. He's taking Anya to the hospital. I brought Jean and Richard…"

He stopped listening at hospital and turned around, walking then suddenly jogging back to his bedroom. "We have to go!" he shouted quickly, throwing his wardrobe open and pulling out a jacket.

Hermione climbed out of bed and suddenly saw her parents and Harry in the hallway. "What's happening?"

"Anya is in the hospital and we need to _go_!" Draco hissed, shoving his arms through the sleeves, not even bothering to change his flannel pajama pants.

"Anya's in the hospital!" Leo cried.

"It's why I brought your parents," Harry chimed in as Hermione walked into her own closet to retrieve her coat. "Ginny is there right now with them."

"I want to go!" Leo shouted.

Hermione shook her head as she buttoned her coat. "You need to stay here and take care of Katie, ok? Mummy needs you to do that for me, and when we find out what's happening, we'll come and get you ok?"

"But I -"

"Leo this isn't a discussion," Hermione calmly but sternly replied. "We don't know what's happening but I need you to be here in the morning in case we aren't for Katie. That's your job, ok?"

Leo sniffled, but nodded all the same. "Ok."

Goodbyes weren't exchanged. Instead, the three adults grabbed ahold of each other's hands and disapparated out of the Malfoy Mansion and directly onto the maternity floor of St. Mungo's. While Hermione immediately began to follow Harry, she quickly realized Draco wasn't right next to her. Instead, he was back where he landed, hunched over, his hands pressed into his knees.

"Harry! Wait!" she shouted, running back to Draco. "Draco? Draco are you alright?"

He waved her off for a moment, trying to catch his breath as the dizziness from apparating was subsiding. "Give me a second," he managed to speak. Draco let Hermione help him stand back upright, but when she saw his face, he saw her eyes widen in alarm. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Hermione replied. She placed her hands on his cheeks, then his forehead. "You feel clammy."

"I'm fine," Draco repeated, rolling his shoulders and cranking one of his arms slightly as he began to walk. "We need to go see what's wrong with Anya." He grabbed Hermione's hand and laced his fingers together with hers, squeezing it nervously as he nodded for Harry to lead the way.

As they walked down one hallway, then another hallway, fleeting thoughts of doing this same walk when Hermione was in the hospital with Katie entered his mind. Then he thought about the world's longest labor that Hermione endured with Leo at that blasted Muggle hospital, and then his mind shuffled through every waiting room and every doctor's office he sat in with Astoria, all of them telling him the same news - that there was nothing they could do - and as they reached the waiting room where James sat with his mother, all Draco could think was _I fucking hate hospitals_.

"Where is she?" Draco demanded to know. "Where is she? What is happening?"

James nodded at the door across the hall. "I'm still waiting. They've sedated her and asked me to leave so they could…do whatever it is they do I guess. I don't know," he finished, stifling a sniffle as his eyes were red rimmed. "It would be nice, though, if someone could come out of that _goddamn room_ and tell me what is happening!" he added, his voice rising with each word.

Harry took a seat next to his son and braced a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure they'll come out the moment they know something. No good is going to come of you getting riled up."

Hermione urged Draco to take a seat, but he'd rather pace. "You aren't feeling well already," she tried reasoning. "Please sit down."

"You don't look well," Ginny added. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Something is happening to my daughter - of course I don't look well!" he snapped before hunching over again, catching his breath as he suppressed the urge to vomit. It was getting harder for him to breathe, but as he went to pull himself upright again, his knees went out from him, and he hit the floor, barely hearing Hermione shout his name as everything went black.

* * *

><p>Anya woke up to the sound of a quick staccato beeping that she was unable to ignore, but was confused because it didn't sound like James' alarm. Shifting slightly, she cracked her eyes open and realized she wasn't at the house, but in a hospital room. Her husband was askew in a chair next to her, asleep, with his arms hugged tightly around him.<p>

"He's going to wake with a crick in his neck," she heard Harry speak quietly.

Blinking her eyes a few times, she found her father in law sitting at the edge of her bed, a hand resting on her leg, currently hidden by several layers of blankets. "He's supposed to leave today," she mused through a yawn.

"He's leaving later today," Harry apologetically replied. "The lead auror said he could meet up with them at their evening briefing. I'm sorry he can't stay. I would have pulled some strings if I could."

She yawned again. "I didn't think he'd be able to…but I don't want him gone when the baby gets here." Rubbing her stomach, she shifted again, trying to get comfortable. "Everything's ok though…right?" Anya quietly asked Harry.

He smiled and gave her a nod. "They sedated you because you weren't relaxing – shocking, I know, you not relaxing – and it was causing stress to the baby. But they ran some tests and determined that you were, and had probably been having contractions all day, but they weren't really strong enough to register with you until last night."

Thinking back to yesterday, Anya realized that the doctors were right, and she was just writing off her random twinges of back pain to the baby kicking, or from her sitting the wrong way too long. "But they've stopped, right?"

Harry nodded. "They gave you some potions…and you're officially on bed rest until the baby arrives."

She groaned, and James stirred in his seat next to her. Rolling his neck one way, then the other, James squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them, and realized his wife was awake. Nearly falling out of the chair, he ignored the chuckle from his father as he found himself leaning over Anya, a hand braced on her bed. "You scared the shit out of me."

Anya reached up and brushed the morning stubble on his cheek affectionately. "Sorry about that."

"I still have to go."

"I know."

James leaned in and kissed her, his lips lingering against hers long enough for her to steal another. "And you're on bed rest."

"I'll stay with my parents…" and at the mention of her parents, she sat up a little bit more, looked around the room, and realized they were nowhere to be found. "Where are they, anyway?"

James and Harry looked at each other, exchanging looks. James wanted his dad to tell her. Harry looked at him and shook his head, his eyebrows rising as if to say _she's your wife – you do it_.

"What aren't you telling me?" Anya asked after a few moments passed.

"Listen," James said, grabbing her hand. "I need you to hear me, and I need you to not freak out because the healers all said that you aren't to be stressed in any way."

Anya's nerves were building, but she took a deep breath and exhaled. "Fine. What's happening?"

"Your dad had a heart attack last night in the waiting room while we were waiting on news about you," James said quickly, like ripping off a plaster as he squeezed her hand.

She couldn't have stopped tears from pooling in her eyes if she tried. She closed her eyes and concentrated on telling herself to breath as she felt James wipe the tears falling from her eyes away with a soft flick of his thumb. "Is he alright?" she managed to ask.

"We're just waiting for him to wake up," Harry said encouragingly, giving her leg a squeeze. The healers found a blockage, cleared it, and much like you – he's going to be resting for a while."

Anya nodded, sniffling slightly as she took a tissue from her husband. "But he's ok."

"He will be," James promised. "Mum went to go get Claire and Scorpius so they could see him when he wakes up, because Hermione knows they wouldn't believe anything she said if she wrote it in a letter. They'll be here soon." Kissing her again, he stood back up, brushing a hand over her head. "Are you hungry at all? You probably need to eat something."

She didn't feel like food, but her husband's words didn't sound like much of a suggestion either. She nodded regardless, however, and heard Harry offer to go and see what he could find for her. The two of them alone, James walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in, wrapping an arm around Anya as she curled into him, her head on his chest. She really didn't want him to leave now, but she knew she couldn't ask him to stay. "When do you leave?"

"Once you're discharged and settled, I have to catch a portkey and go," he reluctantly replied.

"Oh," she replied. "Alright then."

He hugged her a little closer, and used his free arm to rest a hand on her belly. "You were right, by the way."

"Right?"

"The emergency healer thought we knew, and spilled the beans," he replied with a laugh. "We're going to have a boy."

Her eyes lit up with excitement as she looked down at her stomach. "Really? A boy?"

James nodded, laughing as he kissed her forehead. "Looks like you get everything you want, YaYa."

"More often than not," she teasingly replied, rubbing a circle around the spot on her left hand side where she often felt a foot kicking her. "I guess I can start calling you by your name now," she whispered softly. "Hi Jamie," she said sweetly. "You scared the daylights out of Mummy and Daddy last night."

James laughed. "So we're sticking with James?"

"Yep."

"Poor kid," he teased.

"He's only being named after one of the most influential people in my life – I'd hardly consider that to be a punishment," Anya replied softly, resting her head back on his chest.

He kissed her head and placed a hand over one of hers, still on her stomach. "That's quite a pedestal you've got me up on, love."

"It's not my fault you continuously live up to it," she replied. Sighing, she felt her eyes well with tears again as she wiped her tears away before they could fall again. "You're sure Dad's going to be ok?"

"I don't know all the details," he confessed, "but Dad said he was with Hermione when the healers spoke with her and he should be ok. Do you want me to go find Hermione so you can talk to her?"

She shook her head no, tugging at the blankets until James reached over her and pulled them up for her. "She should stay with Dad. She'll find me when he wakes up."

The two of them rested in a comfortable silence, curled up with each other. James rubbed a tender hand up and down her blanket covered arm, as he could practically hear her thinking the worst about pretty much everything. "Everything will be fine," he reassured her quietly. "Close your eyes and rest until breakfast gets here."

Anya nodded against his chest, doing as she was told, and quickly dozed off into a light slumber.

* * *

><p>When Draco woke up, he found himself in his mother's garden at the Manor - and everything was fuzzy. Hazy almost. Hazy with a fuzzy glow. Even his hands looked odd as he found himself sitting on one of the stone benches in his mother's garden. "How in the fuck did I get here?" he asked out loud, looking to see if anyone was nearby.<p>

"Nice to see the language hasn't changed much," an eerily familiar voice spoke from behind him.

Wrenching his body quickly, he found himself right in front of Astoria, also donning a hazy sort of glow, as she stood there in her favorite set of dress robes - the robes she was buried in. "Am I dead? What the hell is happening?"

"You're not dead," Astoria said with an unimpressed drawl, rolling her eyes at his panic. "At least not yet anyway."

"What in the hell does 'not yet' mean!"

"Did you forget how to comprehend the English language?"

"Nice to see you're still a smart ass."

"Nice to see you're still a pain in the ass."

He stood up from the bench, dragging a hand over his face as he sighed. "Why am I here?"

She walked past him and he followed, watching as she admired the various colored roses in the garden. Roses were his mother's most favorite flower, as she was convinced it was the only flower that could look elegant alive or dead. "I honestly have no idea why you're here, because I'm here, and I know I'm dead, and this is my happy place - therefore you cannot stay here and will simply have to go back."

Draco frowned. "How is my mother's garden your happy place?"

"Because it's where we got married," she plainly replied, motioning to their current surroundings with her hands. "Or have you forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten."

"Because it sounded like you did for a moment."

"Are you seriously going to argue with me over everything I say?"

She laughed, smoothing out the non-existent perfections of her hair as it was pulled back in a French twist. "I don't get many visitors. You'll have to excuse me for seeking some entertainment." She sat down on another bench and motioned for him to sit next to her, which he did. "You're having a heart attack right now. That's why you're here. And I must say, Draco, you really ought to be taking better care of yourself."

He rolled his eyes, vaguely remembering where he was prior to waking up here. They were at St. Mungo's…Hermione was there…Harry…Anya…

"She's fine," Astoria reassured him, grabbing onto his hand as he looked up, panicked. "She's perfectly fine. So is your grandson, by the way."

"Grandson?"

Astoria beamed proudly. "We're going to have a grandson. In a few months of course. She's just having some pre-term labor issues. Nothing that can't be fixed with a little bed rest."

He laughed slightly, grinning like a fool as he felt her squeeze his hand again. "She wanted a boy."

Sighing, Astoria stared out into the garden of roses. "They've turned out pretty well. Our children. Be sure to pass along my gratitude to Hermione."

Draco snorted, shaking his head. "Merlin knows it didn't come from us." Silence fell between the two of them, not awkward but not comfortable, as they sat with each other. "If I'm not dead, how do I go back?"

"You just will," Astoria replied. "I can't really explain it, but this isn't Heaven, so that's how I know you're going back."

"But I thought this was your happy place?"

"It is," she replied. "It's where I come to watch my children, as well as your other two little ones. They're lovely children, Draco. Of course, I can't believe you haven't married Hermione yet. What in the bloody hell is your problem, anyway?"

He rolled his eyes. "I proposed to her. We're getting married in the spring."

"Yeah - I saw that - nicely done, by the way. Really. Outstanding work."

"Bite me."

"You can't be mean to me in my happy place, Draco. It isn't allowed."

Draco rolled his eyes again and groaned. "Please. Please I'm begging you - show me the way out. I'm sure Granger is scared shitless right now."

"She is," Astoria replied. "But she'll be fine, because you're going to be fine. But while you're here, you may as well tell me about the children. I want to hear all about them - from you."

Since he clearly wasn't going anywhere, at least not at the moment, he sat back and told her everything he could think of. How Anya graduated at the top of her class and went off to become a successful ballerina. He told her how shows would sell out when her name was announced as the star, and how she traveled the world and signed autographs for Muggles that would wait in droves after her performances just to meet her, and she'd say hello to each and every one of them. He told her about how odd it was to watch her fall in love with James, but he didn't fight it because he knew if he was willing to put up with her, she wouldn't ever find anyone better. "She's a spitting image of you," he told her. "She is simply stunning without trying – that's how Granger describes it, anyway."

Astoria smiled, a hand placed over her heart as her ears registered Hermione's compliment through Draco's words.

He told her he completely blamed her genetics for Claire, who was a bright, beautiful girl - brilliant at quidditch - but was so boy crazy that it drove both him and Hermione crazy. "Anya set her up for disappointment," he told Astoria as he picked a rose head off of a nearby bush, slowly peeling the petals back. "She met the love of her life there, or really, before they ever got to school, and that's what she thinks she should look for. She doesn't realize that it'll come to her, and she's too extraordinary to find her special someone at school. James and Anya were just different - and lucky that way."

"She'll figure it out," Astoria reassured Draco. "Big things are in store for her, and I know she'll be hesitant in the beginning, but if she works hard, it will all be worth it in the end."

Draco nodded, peeling back more petals. He went on and told her about Scorpius, and how he could care less about his studies but managed to plug along because he and Hermione made quidditch participation a deal breaker. He told her how they often found themselves butting heads with each other, but it was only because they were so much alike with their personality, and that Hermione was often the buffer between them. "She gets through to him in ways I'd never even be successful at," he confessed with a wry laugh. "And he just adores her, Tori. I know he loves me, and I know when he comes home from school he's excited to see me, but when he sees Hermione he just - his face lights up as if he's just won the lottery."

"I've noticed," Astoria replied with a sad smile. "She's been wonderful with them. I told you I knew what I was doing."

"I know you did."

"Despite the fact that you've wasted all of these years _not_ being married to the love of your life, despite having children."

Rolling his eyes, he picked a petal off of the rose head and tossed it to the ground. "Really Tori - I'm aware I completely screwed that up, but Hermione's used to it - as I often screw most things up - and she still said yes, so again - bite me."

She laughed, rubbing a hand against his back. "You're too hard on yourself. You've really been stressed out since that unfortunate incident in the alley - and I'm not kidding when I say you really ought to take better care of yourself."

"I will," he promised. Sighing, he picked another petal away and watched it flutter to the ground.

"Can I ask you a question?"

He looked over at his former wife and shrugged. "I'm clearly not going anywhere at the moment. Ask away."

Astoria sighed. "Do the children…do they remember me…and think about me?"

Laughing, Draco nodded as he peeled back another layer of petals. "Claire and Scorpius - they remember the good things. Hermione and Anya both tell them stories. I tell them stories. And Anya…well, she can't forget you - and it's why she eloped."

She dropped her shoulders slightly. "I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be," Draco replied. "She and James getting married would have caused a bloody circus. Ginny would have had the entire European continent there to witness it, now that Potter's the Minister of Magic. It might not have been her primary reason - that of course being you not being there and her continuous love/hate relationship that involves her completely warped feelings about you - but it doesn't matter. Anya is happy, and that's all I've ever wanted for her."

"Are you saying that I 'warped' our oldest child as you so eloquently put it?"

"Yes, but James seems to be fixing that, piece by piece, so I wouldn't worry too much about it," Draco teased. She smacked him the arm, and he playfully smacked her back, the two of them laughing as the haze of their surroundings began to fade. "I miss you, you know, from time to time."

"You really don't."

"You're the mother of my children, Tori - I'm entitled to miss you."

Astoria stood up from the bench and faced him, putting her hands on her hips as she stared at the man in his flannel print pants and black t-shirt. "What do you miss the most, then? Our witty fights? The way we silently wished there were ways to rid the world of each other without leaving an evidence trail?"

Draco chuckled, picking the last of the petals away from the rose head, leaving only the bud it bloomed in. "There were moments in our marriage that weren't complete shit, you know. Moments where we were both there, in the moment, not loathing each other."

She smiled as the haze continued to dim. "Those were nice moments, weren't they?"

"They were," Draco agreed, standing up from the bench as the green bud dropped to the ground.

"I feel as if you have many more of these moments with Hermione."

"Well…like you said…she's the love of my life. It's hard not to," he confessed, looking down at his shoes. "And it's not like I haven't wanted to marry her all this time."

"I know – I watched the fight. "

Draco laughed. "Voyeur."

"It's not like I have a lot of other things to do here," Astoria teased. She reached out a hand and touched his arm. "You don't have to be embarrassed about it. Loving her. Wanting to be with her. I knew you loved her long before you did, after all."

He scratched the side of his neck. "I guess so."

"I'm not offended by it."

"You used to be."

"I'm dead, Draco. I told her to move into the mansion and take care of my children because I figured if you were ever going to get the courage to finally admit that you loved her, you would need a good shove. Besides, even if I was bothered by it, what can I possibly do about it now?"

He had no other response to her blunt reply but laughter, as he finally tilted his head up to look her in the eyes. "Most people would think they were mental…experiencing whatever this is, right now."

Laughing, Astoria leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Of course they would, Draco. After all, it isn't not normal to carry on conversations inside your head with your dead wife."

"At least you admit it's all in my head."

"Where else would it be?" she replied. "You should be going now. Hermione's out of her mind with worry for you."

He looked around, still not seeing an exit, though his surroundings were starting to dim a bit. "And how, exactly, am I to get back?"

Astoria shrugged, gave him a wave, and began to walk away. "Don't worry," she called out to him. "You'll hear her. Just wait for it. And give my love to the children!"

As the garden began to fade to black, his first reaction was to panic, but then, just like Astoria said, he heard her.

* * *

><p>Hermione had a chair pulled up as close to the head of Draco's bed as she could, watching him sleep. She was beating herself up for not recognizing that something was wrong sooner, but the healers did say that he would make a full recovery. He would just have to take it easy for a while. She held his hand, no longer clammy, with hers, kissing his knuckles every now and then. The healers spent several hours using various spells to clear the small blockage near his heart, and now it was almost morning, and they were waiting for him to wake up on his own. Hermione hadn't slept a wink, despite a cot being wheeled into the room in case she was tempted to follow the healer's instructions to catch some sleep.<p>

She would go to sleep as soon as he woke up.

A knock on the door snapped her head out of its current fog, but she needn't look to see who it was. Harry had always had a very distinctive knock he used just for her back when she worked at the Ministry, so she'd know not to tell whomever was behind the door to 'go away' because she was 'too busy.'

"He looks better than he did yesterday," Harry said, sitting next to her as he handed over a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin. "Anya's awake – well, she was awake – but now she's sleeping again. I left her some breakfast in her room."

Hermione nodded. "Is she alright? I should probably go down there and –"

"James is still with her," Harry replied. "She knows you're where you need to be."

Sighing, she took a drink of the coffee in her hand, her body internally applauding for injecting caffeine into her system. "He should be awake by now."

"He had some pretty extensive procedures done," Harry said. "He'll wake up once everything wears off." He propped an ankle up over his other knee and leaned back in the chair. "Besides – it's going to take a lot more than a heart attack to rid the world of Draco Malfoy."

She knew it was supposed to be a joke, but it didn't make her laugh. Instead, she took another drink of her coffee and handed the muffin back to Harry. "I can't eat right now," she said. "Is Ginny back with the kids yet?"

"She said she was going to get them from Hogwarts, and then go by the house and get your parents and the rest of your children, and bring them all over," he replied. "I'm sure they'll be here soon."

Nodding, Hermione hesitated briefly, but ultimately leaned towards her best friend, her head perched on his shoulder. "I just want him to wake up," she said, staring at his sleeping form in front of her, as if she was directly speaking to him. "I want him awake before the children get here so they don't panic."

Draco's hand twitched and Hermione thrust her cup of coffee into Harry's hand as she jumped up and sat on the bed, grabbing his hand with both of hers.

"Draco," she spoke to him encouragingly. "Draco, sweetheart, can you hear me?"

He hummed, moving his head slightly, his eyelids trying to flutter.

"Harry – Harry go get a healer!" she bossed her best friend.

"No," Draco managed to rasp as Harry stood up, putting Hermione's breakfast on a nearby tray. Prying his eyes open, it took a minute for everything to come into focus, but when it did, he saw Hermione staring at him, fingering the heart shaped charm she wore around her neck, with the happiest but saddest look he'd ever seen. "Hi," he managed to speak again.

Hermione smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Hi." Harry nudged her, handing a cup of water with a straw in it, and Hermione took it, bending the straw towards Draco so he could take a drink. "Better?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"Much," he replied, the cool liquid bringing his throat back to life. He felt like he'd been hit by a truck, but he wasn't about to complain about how he was feeling at the moment. "Anya?"

"With James – she's fine, just put on bed rest," Hermione softly replied. He made an odd face that she didn't miss. "What's wrong? Are you ok?"

He shook his head, nodding towards the straw so Hermione would help him with another drink. "Just déjà vu, I think," he replied once he swallowed. "But she's alright?"

"Perfectly fine," Harry promised, taking the cup that Hermione was now handing back to him. "You gave us a good scare there, mate."

Draco tried to laugh, but it hurt too much. "Sorry," he managed to speak, looking directly at Hermione. "Really. I'm…so sorry."

More tears fell from her eyes, and she did nothing to hide them. "You aren't allowed to scare me like that again, you awful git!" she reprimanded with a watery laugh. She leaned forward and gave him a gentle, almost fragile kiss on the lips, her tears falling from her cheeks to his. "You don't get to leave me," she whispered.

He nodded, nuzzling his nose against hers. "I won't leave you."

"Ok," she whispered back.

Another knock at the door pulled Harry and Hermione's attention, as they could see the back of Ginny's auburn locks through the narrow window. "Do you need a minute?" Harry asked. "Or can the kids come in?"

Within a few moments, Hermione had Draco's bed propped up a little bit more, smoothed out his ruffled hair, and pecked her lips against his again. "Even sick you're handsome," she said as Harry went to open the door.

He tried to laugh, despite the pain. He wasn't sure what spells were used to stop his heart attack, but whatever they were, they definitely packed a punch. He looked over Hermione's shoulder and saw Claire walk in, holding Katie as the boys followed in behind her. "I'm fine," he spoke to Claire, a smile plastered on his face that he knew she's probably see right through.

"Of course you are," she said, returning the same smile. It was easy to see she was doing her best to keep it together in front of her siblings.

Draco looked over at Leo and Scorpius, the former looking bewildered by all the magical devices monitoring his vitals while the latter looked like he'd stepped foot in a horror movie. "Come here," he motioned with his hand. "I'm fine. It was just a…little heart attack. I'll be good as new...in no time."

"Did they catch it, Daddy?" Katie asked.

He was confused. "Catch who, buttercup?"

She rolled her eyes in a way that only a Malfoy could and pointed at his chest. "Whatever attacked your heart!"

It was a much needed laugh by everyone in the room, the tension melting slightly though Katie looked incredibly put out by everyone else not taking this as seriously as she was. "No one gave Daddy a heart attack," Hermione told her daughter, taking her from Claire as she kissed her cheek. "It's just something that happens sometimes."

She didn't like the sound of this. "Will he catch another one?"

"Nope," Hermione spoke decisively. "Because we're going to make sure we take better care of Daddy, and you know that means?"

Her eyes brightened and she clapped her hands together. "Research!"

"I don't even know if she's mine at this point," Draco joked.

"Not funny," Richard called out from the back of the room, though the rest of the grownups, along with Claire, laughed. He gave Draco a compassionate look, however, and Draco returned the look with a nod. "You're too young," he informed his future son-in-law.

Draco sighed. "I know." He looked back over at his sons, Scorpius in general, as Leo was now investigating the heart monitor to see how it was working. "It's ok," he promised Scorpius.

Scorpius shrugged, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. It was Friday, he and his sister were both in their school uniforms having been pulled from classes before breakfast ended. "Whatever," he replied.

Claire reached over and smacked her brother upside the head and gave him a look.

"What was that for!"

"Because Anya would've done it," Claire snapped. "Where is Anya's room? Ginny said she's ok, but I want to see her."

"She's sleeping," Hermione said. "Do you two want to stay home this weekend or go back?"

"Stay home," Claire answered, looking right at Scorpius as if she was daring him to say something else.

Scorpius shrugged, clearly not getting a vote. "Staying home is fine," he mumbled.

Her older son's attitude didn't go unnoticed by Hermione, but this moment wasn't exactly the best time to acknowledge it. "Now that everyone's seen Daddy, and he's ok, let's have everyone go back to the house with Grandma and Grandpa, and we'll see about bringing Daddy and Anya back to the house because James has to leave for work."

Jean clapped her hands together and nodded in agreement. "Do you think it will take long?"

"Between Harry and myself, I think we can get the process started and completed quickly," Hermione replied, trying not to yawn as she spoke. "Maybe Grandma and Aunt Ginny can make a brunch of sorts for us when we get home."

"I think we can manage that," Ginny replied, earning herself a warm smile from Hermione. She clapped a hand twice over her heart, and Hermione nodded in return, as things were getting back to normal between the two of them.

Harry walked over to his wife, gave her a kiss, and then motioned towards Hermione with his head. "I'm going to find some nurses to see if we can't get this show on the road."

Hermione and Draco found themselves finally alone in the room, staring at each other as the room began to fill with unspoken words. The silence was nearly deafening, but neither would speak. Hermione eventually found her way back to his bed, crawling into it carefully as Draco rolled his head over to face her.

"It's going to be ok," he promised her.

"I know it is."

"Scorpius looked spooked."

"I'll take care of it."

Draco sighed as he felt his eyes tear up. He couldn't remember the last time he cried. Probably when Katie was born, and he was scared out of his mind…much like he was right now. Not that he was going to say it aloud. Instead, he blinked back his emotion and gave her a wink. "Does my weakened state mean I get to have a sponge bath when we get home?"

She rolled her eyes, but the grin wasn't at all suppressed. "Considering that's the only action you're going to be seeing for a while, I'm sure I could work out a sponge bath or two."

"Do I even want to know how long I'm going to have to wait?"

Hermione linked an arm with his and hugged it close to her as she sighed. "It's best you don't know right now. I'm not sure your heart could take the shock of it in your 'weakened' state."

He pulled the hand she was currently holding on to up to his mouth, kissing it slowly as he heard her sigh. "I love you. So much."

"I know you do," she whispered, not trusting her own voice.

He kissed her hand again, giving it a squeeze as he stifled a laugh.

"What's funny?" she asked.

"Nothing…" he replied. "Except we've already covered the 'for better or worse' and now 'in sickness and in health.' We're going to have to write our own vows at this point."

She smiled, a small smile at first, before looking over at him and breaking out into a full out laugh. Exhaustion was clearly getting the best of them, but neither of them cared. "Do you want to write our own vows?"

He nodded. "Only if you do."

Hermione leaned in, kissing him as passionately as she could in his current state. "Consider them done."


	32. Chapter 32

**Here's the next chapter. I've gotten a fair few comments about how I should have ended this story at Chapter 25, or that the last chapter didn't really go anywhere (and if you felt that way about the last chapter, I can't say this chapter will do much for you) but I just wanted to say this: I totally respect your feelings. I could have totally ended this sucker at the end of Chapter 25 and called it a day but I wasn't feeling it...because I almost did it. And I know sometimes filler chapters bore a reader, but I know as a fanfic reader that I _hate it_when I'm reading a story and it just jumps from one big moment to the next without anything in between. Maybe I have too many filler chapters. It could certainly be the case, but I try to write in away that if I was reading it, I wouldn't be irritated by it...all the while knowing at the same time that my way could irritate others. Talk about a double edged sword!**

But the bottom line is this - I like those kinds of comments. They make me think, and I do take them to heart. I'd rather have constructive thoughts than some of the hateful things I've seen other readers blast fanfic writers with. I've been pretty lucky to only get a few of those, and I've got pretty thick skin to ignore the few, but even if I don't take what you say completely to heart, know that I appreciate the comments (all the comments, really!) and I don't just view them in my inbox and disregard them in the same moment. After all...if it wasn't for you...I wouldn't keep writing :)

* * *

><p>Anya couldn't count the number of times she swallowed the phrase <em>please don't go<em> as James got her settled into her childhood bedroom. His portkey would be activated in a bit, and she knew he needed to have plenty of time to reach it so he arrived to his evening briefing with the rest of his team.

"I'll be back before you know it," James said, his voice only wavering once.

She gave him a feverish nod as she tried to make herself comfortable in bed. "If you don't go know you'll never leave," she said instead, burying her emotions down deep despite the hormones trying to shove them over the edge.

Bracing his hands on the bed, he leaned over and kissed her belly, then kissed her lips, letting his linger for a few moments before pulling away. "I'll check in when I can. Promise."

"Alright," Anya whispered, not trusting her voice to do much else.

"Love you."

"Love you more," she whispered in his ear before he pulled completely away.

A gentle hand grazed her belly a final time before he walked away, swallowing the hard lump that had formed in his throat. At the doorway, he saw Claire leaning against it, her arms braced against her chest as she gave him a sad smile. "Take care of her?" he hoarsely asked.

"Of course," Claire scoffed, playfully insulted by his request. She watched him as he looked over his shoulder, staring at Anya's back as she'd rolled onto her side. "If you don't go you'll never leave," she said, repeating her sister's words.

James sighed. "My job sucks sometimes."

"You can always get a new one."

"That's not how it really works," James replied. He clapped a hand on Claire's shoulder and gave it a squeeze before walking away.

Still standing in the doorway, she watched her sister for a moment before noticing the subtle shaking of her shoulders. Stepping inside, she quietly closed the door behind her and approached Anya's bed, carefully climbing in. As she wrapped an arm around Anya's chest from behind, she felt the shaking stop.

"Hermione?" her sister asked.

"Claire," she corrected. Sniffling sharply, Anya quickly forced herself to calm and catch her breath, but Claire hugged the one arm around her sister a bit tighter. "It's ok to cry in front of me," Claire told her sister. "You don't have to pretend that you aren't upset. I'm not six anymore, you know."

That was all the encouragement Anya's hormones needed to hear, as the silent shaking of her sobs began to brew accompanying tears.

* * *

><p>"You sure you don't need us to stay?"<p>

Hermione nodded her head as she continued to chop up cucumbers, scooping up the slices and throwing them into the large bowl already filled with romaine lettuce, carrots, and cherry tomatoes. "We'll be fine, Mum," she said, looking up at both of her parents. "Dinner is already made, Anya's settled in, Draco is upstairs resting, the elves have never been more excited because I actually need help…"

Jean held her hands up in retreat as Richard chuckled. "I believe our daughter has everything under control," Richard said to his wife, who still appeared to look as if she did not feel all that comfortable in leaving. "But I'm sure she wouldn't mind us coming by tomorrow," he added to pacify his wife.

Hermione nodded as she used two large wooden spoons to toss the salad around in the bowl. "It would be wonderful if you guys came by tomorrow," she said encouragingly. Especially since the children will be home for the next two days."

Jean gave a reluctant nod as she shifted the purse strap on her shoulder. "Well…alright then. But just know that we'll be back bright and early in the morning."

"Wouldn't expect anything less," Hermione replied with a laugh.

"But if you want we could take the children tonight," Jean offered.

Hermione put down the spoons and walked over to her mother and gave her a hug. "We're going to be fine, Mum," she repeated, kissing her cheek. "Honestly. You know I would tell you otherwise."

Nodding, Jean returned the hug, and then stepped aside so Richard could hug her as well. "We'll see you tomorrow, darling," Richard replied. "But make sure you get some sleep tonight alright?"

"Yes Dad," Hermione replied with a laugh. "Feel free to shoo the children in here after you tell them goodbye so I can feed them dinner."

With a mock salute, Richard ushered his wife away and gave Hermione a quick wink before leaving her sight. Laughing, Hermione went back to tossing the salad with her two spoons, enjoying the small moment of peace and quiet. It had been a hectic night and day, and despite a nap when they all came home from the hospital, she was fully prepared to call it an early night for everyone later this evening. Summoning plates from the cabinet, she began to fill the plates with mashed potatoes, chicken, and corn and levitated them over to the kitchen table that had been expanded over the years to accommodate everyone. Their formal dining room was rarely used, as Draco had become a fan of Hermione's insistence of a more intimate dinner setting. _There's no reason to have to shout at one another while eating_, Hermione told him a month after she move in, a thought that always made her smile as the children began filtering into the kitchen.

She handed Katie, Leo, and Scorpius their silverware wrapped up in a napkin and took their drink requests as they sat down at the table. Two juice boxes and a glass of milk later, Hermione looked around for Claire. "She's with Anya," Scorpius said, as if he could read her mind. "I poked my head in earlier, and she told me to _go away._"

Nodding, she gave Scorpius his glass of milk and kissed the top of his head. "I'm sure she didn't mean it rudely," Hermione reassured him.

"You didn't hear her tone," Scorpius snarked.

"But I'm hearing yours," Hermione warned. "I don't know what's up with you today, but my suggestion is that you lose whatever it is quickly."

Hanging his head, Scorpius sighed and shifted in his seat. "Sorry, Mum."

She squeezed his shoulders. "Apology accepted." Back at the kitchen island, she scooped up a good portion of the salad into another bowl and drizzled the contents with some fat free Italian dressing.

"Mummy, what are you making?" Katie inquired with a mouthful of chicken.

"Mummy is making Daddy a salad for dinner."

"But Daddy hates salad," Leo said. "He says it's for rabbits, and that since he's not a rabbit, he won't eat it."

Hermione laughed as she retrieved a fork for the salad. "But Daddy also fills his body with food that isn't good for him at work for lunch and dinner when he works late at the Ministry, and that's what gave him his heart attack. Therefore, Daddy now has to eat better, which means more vegetables and less French fries, and _because _he scared the ever living daylights out of Mummy, Daddy no longer gets a vote in what he eats." Picking up the bowl, she looked over at the three children and gave them a smile. "I'm going to go take this up to your father now, so be good. Katie's in charge."

"Katie's always in charge," Scorpius laughed.

"That's because she's good at it," Hermione laughed right back as she walked up the kitchen stairs with her salad bowl in tow. Rounding the hallway corner, she found Claire, sleepy-eyed and walking towards her. "Take a nap?"

She nodded, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I fell asleep with Anya. She's still sleeping…but she was pretty upset when James left."

Hermione nodded. "Well, it was to be expected, with everything going on."

Yawning, Claire covered her mouth with one hand and shook out her long blond curls with another. "I'm probably the worst sister in the world, you know," she finally said.

"Why would you say that?" Hermione asked.

"Because James looked like he was going to throw up when he left, and Anya cried herself to sleep, and even though I was in there with her, trying to make her feel better, all I could feel was jealousy," Claire confessed as she looked down at her feet. "I asked her once…I asked her if she ever wondered what she was missing, because James was her only boyfriend…or well…her husband that we didn't know about…but either way, I asked her and she said it didn't matter, and I thought she didn't know what she was talking about. But then I saw James say goodbye to her…and the way she cried…and all I could think was that whatever _that _was - I wanted it. I want it so badly, Hermione, and I might never get it!"

Shaking her head slightly, Hermione gave Claire a smile and cupped her free hand against her pale cheek. "You'll find it," Hermione promised. "You just can't look so hard for it. You're only sixteen, darling. You've got plenty of time."

"But what if I never find it? What if I turn out like Aunt Daphne!"

"Oh darling…I promise your father will have you committed before that could ever happen," Hermione teased. "Dinner is waiting for you, and I have to take this salad to your father…but we can talk more later, I promise."

"Really?"

"Really."

Claire sighed and nodded. "Good luck getting Dad to eat that salad."

"He doesn't exactly get a vote," Hermione cheeked.

"It's hard to get a vote when you never really had one to begin with," Claire chuckled, walking past Hermione as she headed towards the kitchen.

Hermione walked down the hall a bit more and opened the door, finding Draco in bed, his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose as he flipped through a quidditch magazine, which judging by the cover, seemed to be showcasing the league's new talent for the upcoming season. "Hey sweetheart," she said as she walked into the room. "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged, putting the magazine down as he removed his glasses. "Alright I guess. My chest hurts a bit, but it's a sore hurt more or less."

"It's from the spells and charms," Hermione said as she took a seat on the edge of the bed they shared. Putting the bowl in his lap, she waited for him to make a face, but didn't see one. "I know you don't like salad, but I did find dressing that you liked, and I put a fair amount of it on there so that you wouldn't taste the raw lettuce, but you have to start eating better."

Draco nodded, taking a hold of the fork as he stirred around the salad. "I know."

"You know?" she questioned. "You're not going to fight me? Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

He shook his head and stabbed a bite onto his fork, then ate it. Chewing up the salad, he determined it wasn't the worst thing he'd put into his mouth as he swallowed. "Your dad was right. I'm much too young for this to have happened." He took another bite, swallowed it, and then reached for his glass of water on the nightstand. "I promise I'll be better," he said earnestly.

Hermione was practically tickled pink by his response, as she was so certain she was gearing herself up for a stubborn battle of wills. Scooting up the bed closer to him, she leaned in and kissed him hard. "Draco Malfoy, that answer just earned you sex wherever you want it once you're better," she promised with a glint in her eye.

Draco laughed and winced at the same time, shaking his head. "With a promise of wherever, Granger, your parents are going to need to take the children for the night."

She leaned in and kissed him again. "I promise that will be arranged. Now eat your salad. I'm going to go check on Anya. Claire said she's still sleeping, but I'm still going to peek in and make sure she's ok."

Draco shook his head. "I'll do it. Go back downstairs with the children. I'll check on her."

She gave him a look, pursing her lips together. "Are you sure?"

"I'm not on bed rest," he teased before taking another bite. "Besides - the healer said it was ok to move around. I'll check on her."

Hermione sighed, tilting her head to the side as a wisp of her brown hair fell from her unkempt twist. She reached up, tucking the piece of hair back behind her ear and smiled. "Alright. I'll let you check on her, and I'll come up and check on _you_ in a little bit."

Chewing his salad, he wiggled an eyebrow and swallowed. "Will I be getting that sponge bath I requested earlier?"

"Only if you don't get too excited."

"I promise, even if I wanted to I couldn't," he replied. "My body feels like I've been trampled."

She stood up from the bed and gave him a wink. "If that's the case, I'll see what I can do."

* * *

><p>Dinners were eaten, baths were given, and by eight thirty, the children were tucked away in their bedrooms. When Hermione peeked into Scorpius' room at a half past nine, she was not at all shocked to see Katie in Scorpius' bed, curled up next to him with her head on his chest as she clutched his Mr. Bear with one of her arms. It didn't go unnoticed by Hermione that Katie had taken a particular interest in her oldest brother since they left the hospital. She often stayed close to Scorpius when he was in one of his moods, and while Hermione knew Draco's heart attack was the main reason for the funk he was currently in, she wasn't sure just yet how she would approach him about it.<p>

_But it could wait until tomorrow_, she told herself as she carefully closed the bedroom door. In Leo's room, she carefully picked up the book that lay open against his chest and marked his page before closing it and placing it on his nightstand. Pulling his covers up to his shoulders, she kissed his head and he stirred. "Mummy?"

"Shhh," Hermione quietly cooed. "Go back to sleep."

He mumbled something incoherent, but rolled to his side all the same and heaved a tired sigh.

In Claire's room, Hermione found her reading a muggle anatomy book, as she was convinced that her expanding knowledge of the human body and how it works was helping her with her healing potions unit at school. Hermione kept hoping she'd keep her interest in dentistry and go to university once Hogwarts was over, but it was a rarity for any wizarding student to continue his or her studies after Hogwarts. Almost all of them go into apprenticeships. Draco had said on occasion that he could see her as a healer, but Hermione didn't think she had the passion for that sort of medicine. She'd been interested and helping out in what was now her father's dental practice for the past two years, as her mother had been retired for a few years now, and Claire's interest in dentistry had yet to wane.

Leaning against the door frame, she looked over at Claire, who looked back up at her. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier," Hermione said.

Claire closed her book, holding her place with a finger clamped between the pages. "And?"

Sighing, Hermione shrugged as she folded her arms against her chest. "People like Harry and Ginny, and your sister with James, are nearly one in a million. To find that sort of connection, a soul mate really, as young as they did…it's a beautiful gift but also completely rare. And it's ok to be jealous of it. Ron was supposed to be my soul mate, after all. We were supposed to have the story book life with the house and the kids just like Harry and Ginny, and we were supposed to live happily ever after. And when I found out about his affair, and that he was going to have a baby with Lavender, I was green with envy for years. Envious of Lavender because she clearly had something I didn't…because she managed to pull him away from me. Envious of Harry and Ginny because they had what I believed was taken away from me."

Claire sat up in her bed, listening intently to what Hermione was saying to her. "But I've never even had it taken away! I've never been loved like that, I mean, obviously you and Dad love me, but it's not the same."

"You're right," Hermione agreed. "It most certainly is not the same."

"But that's what I want! I want to be loved like _that,_" Claire desperately confessed.

She walked into Claire's bedroom and sat down on the bed next to her and smiled. "You will be loved like that. Someday, you will find your soul mate and you'll know what it's like. But you shouldn't expect to find him on every first date, and sometimes, it takes more than a first date. Love is different for everyone."

Nodding, Claire opened her book back up; dog-tagged the corner of the page despite knowing Hermione's disdain for scarring book pages, and closed the book shut, tossing it down to the ground. "Do you think Dad is your soul mate?"

Hermione smiled as her cheeks blushed. "I may be somewhat jaded when it comes to soul mates. I wish I could tell you that on the fleeting moments when something reminds me of Ron, or the random time I see him, that I don't feel a twinge somewhere deep down, but I believe that I feel that because of how much I put of myself into our relationship in that part of my life, and while I know what happened wasn't all my fault, I've never been good at failing anything, and he's a constant reminder of the first thing I truly failed at."

"But you're happy now, with Dad," Claire stated as she stared directly into Hermione's eyes.

"I have never been happier in my life," Hermione replied as she felt her eyes water. "These past ten years…I cannot even begin to put into words. In a matter of weeks I went from a lifetime of longing and wanting a family, then through a period of wondering if I'd ever even get the chance, to having everything I could have ever wanted and then some. Your father and I spent a long time learning to be friends when Anya and James were born…and then when I went through my divorce your father was there, picking up the pieces in the rare moments at work when I couldn't keep it together. I wish I could tell you the exact moment I realized that I loved him, but I can't pinpoint it. It just happened somewhere along the way, and just like with you children, the love I have for your father...I can't explain it. It has no bounds. It is never-ending."

Claire smiled as Hermione wiped the tears that had pooled at the corners of her eyes. "Sounds like a soul mate to me."

"He's more than a soul mate, Claire," Hermione replied. "He is everything, and knowing that he feels the same way about me only makes it better."

The younger girl pursed her lips together and shrugged her shoulders. "But how do you know if a guy feels the same way that you feel about him?"

"Because they do what they have to do, even when they don't want to," Hermione replied.

"Like leaving for a mission when he knows his wife wants him to stay?"

Hermione nodded. "Or when he eats salad without complaint, because even if he hates it, he knows he has to eat it without complaint because he knows I will not survive if he has another heart attack."

Giggling, Claire leaned over and launched her arms around Hermione's neck, hugging her tight. Hermione returned the hug just the same, kissing her cheek before Claire pulled away. "I always feel better when I talk to you," she confessed.

"Good," Hermione replied. "And I'm going to leave you with this last piece of advice. Are you ready?"

"Ready."

Standing up from Claire's bed, she bent down and picked up the anatomy book and handed it back to Claire. "You are a _very_ beautiful young woman, and even when you aren't trying, nothing about your beauty is subtle. You were blessed with great genes, darling. But you are also _incredibly_ smart. I don't want you to be one of those girls that rely on a pretty face to get through life. If you're serious about becoming a dentist, then don't worry about distractions like boys. The difference between boys and men are vast, and if you keep your head in the game, there is no reason why you can't have everything you want. You have, more or less, a year and a half of Hogwarts left. Focus on your NEWTs. Focus on deciding what you want to do after school. If you want to pursue a Ministry approved apprenticeship, your father and I will support it. If you want to pursue university and become a dentist, your father and I will take care of the expenses. But you have to decide who you are and what you want before you can decide on who and what to compromise for."

Claire made a face as she chewed on her lip, a habit she picked up from Hermione over the years. "Do you think Anya knew who she was at fourteen?"

Stifling a laugh, Hermione nodded. "I'm pretty sure she knew who she was the moment she came out of the womb. Your sister is head strong, stubborn, and her successes come from her focus and her drive to succeed. You, Claire Elizabeth Malfoy, have always marched to the beat of your own drum, but that's always been what makes you special. You should never lose that, nor should you ever be with someone who tries to squash it."

Grinning, Claire sank back into the stack of pillows behind her. "Thanks, Hermione."

"It's the honest truth," Hermione replied with a smile. "Don't stay up too late, ok?"

Nodding, Claire stifled a yawn with her hand. She called out to Hermione right as she reached her bedroom door.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

Pulling her covers up over her lap, Claire blew Hermione a kiss and smiled. "I know we probably don't say it enough…but you really are the best mum we could have asked for."

Clapping a hand against her chest, Hermione blew Claire a kiss and nodded. "You can thank your mother for that."

"Not really," Claire replied. "YaYa always said you would have done it regardless. I don't remember a lot, you know, about Mum, and I know you and Dad and YaYa sugar coat a lot of it…but I do know that you've always loved us."

"It was pretty hard not to," Hermione confessed. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, Hermione."

* * *

><p>Anya was practically starving when she woke up to the kicking of her baby around seven thirty the next morning. The potions in her system from her little hospital adventure made her feel groggy and tired when they came home yesterday, on top of all the emotional exhaustion with James leaving, but as she rubbed her eyes, all she could think about was eating food. Throwing the blankets off of her, she carefully climbed out of bed, a hand on top of her protruding stomach as she pulled herself upright. Feeling a foot kick her again, she laughed and yawned. "I get it, Jamie. You're hungry. Me too," she said, rubbing her hand down by the side where one of her son's feet currently was located.<p>

Slowly, she walked down the hall and towards the back staircase, inhaling the smell of what could only be breakfast by Grandma Jean as she smelled bacon…waffles, maybe blueberry…and sausage. There was definitely sausage downstairs. "Please tell me someone's making me a plate," she said with a laugh as she announced her entrance into the kitchen.

Jean looked over at Anya from the stove, and Richard immediately jumped up from his chair at the table and pulled another chair out for Anya. "Are you supposed to be up and about?" he asked as she made her way to the chair.

"The doctor said I could move around in small doses," Anya replied. "But I'm definitely supposed to take it easy."

"We would have brought you food upstairs," Jean said as she began to make Anya a plate, filled with bacon, blueberry waffles, fruit, and a couple of sausages with a fresh glass of orange juice. Bringing it over to her, she gave Anya a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Starved," Anya said as she picked up a fork and carved a piece of waffle away for her to eat. "Is anyone else up?"

"Not yet," Richard replied. "But I'm sure they will be soon."

Nodding, Anya dipped her waffle bite into the separate dish of syrup Jean gave her, always remembering that Anya didn't like the syrup to touch anything it wasn't supposed to, and moaned with delight as she took the bite. "This…is fantastic. Really."

Laughing, Jean made up a plate for Richard and brought it to him. "Well I'm glad you like it, dear. I found a few omelet recipes on the internet last night for your father…he eats omelets, right?"

"Omelets or scrambled, yes. Poached or sunny side up - no," Anya reminded Jean.

"Oh good - I was worried I had it confused for a moment," Jean replied.

The pitter patter of footsteps upstairs signaled that others were awake, and soon, Leo, Katie, and Scorpius came sleepily trudging down the kitchen staircase, all eyes brightening at the sight of breakfast. "Waffles!" Leo exclaimed exchanging a high five with Scorpius as Katie climbed up in the chair between Richard and Anya; her curls a busy mess as the ponytail she went to sleep in was now loose and disheveled. "Are you feeling better YaYa?"

Anya nodded as she swallowed her mouthful of food. "Much. How are you this morning?"

"I'm good," Katie replied. "I can count by twos. Did you know?"

Laughing at her sister's abrupt change of subject, Anya looked over at Richard, who chuckled as he sipped his coffee. "How high can you count by twos?"

Shrugging, Katie stole a strawberry slice off of her sister's plate and popped it into her mouth. "Probably super high," she said. "It's just a pattern…it could go forever. That's what my teacher says. I'm going to learn how to count by threes next."

Anya arched an eyebrow. "What sort of preschool are you going to?"

Shrugging again, Katie thanked her grandmother for her plate of fruit and bacon that now sat in front of her with a kiss and a hug. "I do different stuffs at preschool than the other kids do sometimes."

"Why's that?"

"Because I knowed everything else," Katie nonchalantly replied.

"Fair enough," Anya replied, not having a better response as she picked up her glass of orange juice.

"Are omelets on the menu too?" Claire's tired voice spoke as she made her way into the kitchen through the revolving door.

Jean laughed as she motioned for Claire to come over and give her a hug. "What do you want in it?" she asked as the tired teenage girl gave her a hug.

"Depends on what you have," Claire replied with an exhausted laugh.

"Well let's take a look," Jean said, ushering over to the piles of fresh produce she picked up from the market before she and her husband came over to the house that morning. Nothing made Jean Granger happier than a kitchen full of grandchildren as she and Claire began to pick and choose what would go in her breakfast omelet. The decision to keep Hermione as an only child wasn't their decision, as Jean's own battle with cancer managed to make the decision for them. Over the years they became quite content as a family of three, but Jean knew Hermione wanted a big family someday. As she began to crack some eggs into a bowl, Jean watched as Katie put her now sticky hands on her sister's belly to feel the baby kick, while Scorpius and Leo simultaneously told her husband about their lizards shedding skin, watching him laugh as Claire shouted at them to stop because she was losing her appetite. Shaking her head, she couldn't help the smile that took over her lips. Her onetime wish for a house full of grandchildren was more than fulfilled.

"Anya," Jean said as she took the bowl Claire filled with omelet fillings and placed it on the counter next to the stove. "I brought over some of my crocheting hooks. I thought I could reteach it to you…and maybe you could crochet a baby blanket as something to do to pass the time."

"That sounds brilliant," Anya replied with a smile. "Thanks Grandma."

"I want to learn how to crochet!" Katie exclaimed. "Can I learn?"

"I'm not sure if I know of any four year olds that can crochet…but if there was ever a four year old that could, you would most certainly be it," Jean replied with a warm smile.

"Should someone get Mum and Dad up?" Scorpius asked as he wiped up the remnants of his syrup up with a final bite of his second waffle.

Richard shook his head no as he cut his fork into a sausage to take a bite. "They had a long day too, yesterday. If they're still sleeping, we should let them be."

* * *

><p>Hermione woke up with a start once her eyes focused and registered the time on the clock being almost ten o'clock, but she felt Draco's arm around her waist hug her tighter. "Your parents are here," he mumbled in her ear. "Go back to sleep."<p>

She relaxed slightly, but then managed to wiggle around enough so that she could roll over and face Draco, whose eyes were closed. "You should probably eat something."

"I woke up a bit ago," he said with a tired sigh. "Your mother fed me; I came back upstairs, was immediately exhausted by the stairs, and fell back asleep."

Heaving a small sigh, Hermione closed her eyes again, only to pop them back open as she sat upright. "But Anya? What about her? Is she alright?"

Groaning, Draco rolled onto his back, rubbing his eyes as he yawned. "Woman, you're going to be the death of me today."

"That joke is no longer funny," she warned.

"Of course it isn't," Draco drawled, propping himself upright a bit. "But you aren't going to be any good to anyone if you work yourself up into a worrying frenzy. You were so tired this morning you didn't even budge when I got up _and_ climbed back into bed. You haven't been like that since Katie was in the hospital."

Knowing very well that Draco was right, Hermione plopped back down with her head hitting the still warm pillow and sighed. "I can't help but worry sometimes, you know."

Laughing, Draco rolled over towards her and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "Believe me. I'm aware."

"I'm sorry," she said, kissing him back. "I know you hate it when I'm a nag."

"I would never call you a nag."

She scoffed. "Not to my face, anyway."

"Pretty much," he teased, kissing her a final time. "I love you, Hermione. More than anything."

Smiling, she snaked a hand up the underneath of his shirt, resting her open palm against the middle of his chest. "I love you more than anything."

Burying his face in the crook of her neck, he inhaled her vanilla scent and became overwhelmed by his own emotions. Holding onto Hermione tightly, he let her slowly rake her fingers through his hair as he silently cried; suddenly hit with the realization that he very well could have had an entirely different outcome. Grateful she said nothing, but instead soothed him silently with her arms and hands; he remained content where he currently was until he calmed himself down a bit. Whether it really was a dream, or just his mind playing tricks on him, a part of his conversation with Astoria while he was unconscious at the hospital was on loop in his mind. _Of course, I can't believe you haven't married Hermione yet. What in the bloody hell is your problem, anyway?_

After a few minutes, he managed to pull away from her, watching as she reached up to wipe the remaining tears away. "I'm an idiot," he confessed.

"You have your moments," she lightly teased. "But I love you anyway."

"After Anya has the baby…I want to get married," he said. "I want us all to go somewhere…a beach holiday, you, me, the children, your parents…I want us to go away."

Smiling, Hermione nodded as she leaned up slightly to kiss him. "If we wait until March, for Hogwarts spring holiday, we can do it then, so we don't have to worry about pulling the children out of school…and maybe we can stay an extra week, just you and me. Mum and Dad can handle Leo and Katie for a week."

A small twinkle in Hermione's eye at her suggestion caught Draco's attention as he responded with a smirk of his own. "I think…that sounds like a brilliant idea."

"I'm so happy to have your approval," she teased.

He rolled away from her and yawned. "You should go eat something," he said.

Shaking her head, she pulled their covers up over her shoulder and curled up next to Draco. "I will in a little bit," she replied. "I'd rather be right here with you if you don't mind."

"Not a bit, love. Not a bit."

* * *

><p>Perched on the couch with her feet up on a pillow with the help of the coffee table, Anya sat with a crochet hook, some maroon yarn, and about a third of a baby blanket already stitched. She personally felt that the color was beyond atrocious, but she also knew that James would be very excited about the blanket when he came back from his mission, considering the last time she came back to the house after shopping for the baby, he groaned at the sight of green inside the bag.<p>

"_Would it kill you to buy another color?"_

"_There are other colors!" she exclaimed, pulling out a yellow sweater, a blue hat, and some brown socks. "See! It isn't all green!" _

"_But you know my favorite color is red," James whined, feigning a pout as he continued to rummage through the bags of baby clothes and other miscellaneous items. _

_Anya laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards her. "I'm not naturally drawn to red – but I will make a better effort just for you. I promise." _

Pulling more slack away from the ball, she began to find her hook and chain rhythm once more, and spotted Scorpius walking into the room in her peripheral vision. "Come here," she commanded.

"I'm busy."

"I don't care. Come here."

Grousing, Scorpius did as his oldest sister bossed and walked over to her, plopping down on the couch with a look of disdain. "What?" he asked.

She continued to crochet blindly so that she could give him a proper look of disgust. "What in the hell is your problem lately?"

Scorpius shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his hands. "I don't have a problem."

"Try again," Anya instructed. "Claire said you were being _completely_ ridiculous at the hospital in Dad's room –"

"Claire doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Claire said she smacked you upside the head for being an ass. Katie has practically been attached to your hip since you've come home, and if that isn't a big red flag I don't know what is," Anya replied. "So start talking. Now."

Squirming in his seat, Scorpius pulled his sock clad feet up on the couch, perching them on the edge of the cushion as he hugged his knees to his chest. "I was just scared," he finally mumbled after a few minutes.

"Everyone was," Anya replied, her voice losing its bossy edge.

"But Dad and I fight all the time!" Scorpius exclaimed. "We fought the day I left for Hogwarts and I hadn't written any letters yet this year from school and suddenly Aunt Ginny is there telling me and Claire that you're in the hospital and then Dad had a heart attack and I just…what if he died, YaYa? What if he died and the last thing we ever did was fight!"

Putting her crochet hook and yarn down, Anya carefully moved the finished parts of the baby blanket to the floor and pulled her brother close to her, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "You were too little to remember when our mum died…but I know what you're feeling. I really do. I was only two years older than you when it happened."

Scorpius nodded, allowing himself to lean into his sister's one armed embrace. "And then all I could think when Ginny took us to the hospital was about what would happen to me if he died," Scorpius meekly replied. "Would Mummy get to keep me and Claire?"

Anya ruffled her brother's shaggy head of hair with her hand and hugged him as tightly as she could. "First off, Dad had all of that stuff taken care of a long time ago. Second, even if Dad hadn't, and something had happened to him, hell would have no fury like Hermione Granger if someone thought they could take you and Claire away from her. And third – worst case scenario is that I'd would have become your guardian, and you better believe I would have just given you back to Hermione because you _both_ are a _gigantic_ pain in the ass."

Scorpius laughed at his sister's last statement, looking up to see her smirk as she gave him a wink. "But Dad and I still fight all the time."

"Well that's because you're both the same person, and Dad doesn't know how to deal with it," Anya replied. "Also – you could learn to pick your battles with him. I had to learn it – Dad and I used to fight all the time. He's where we get our stubbornness from, which is why we can dish it back as best as he can serve it."

He thought about his sister's words for a moment. "What do you mean by picking my battles?"

"Well, for starters," Anya said, looking at his hair with disgust. "This is ridiculous. You look homeless."

He shot straight up and shook his head. "I don't look homeless!"

"You look _incredibly_ homeless," Anya reiterated. "I get that it's the cool thing to do with your friends, growing your hair out and all, but there's growing it out and there is looking like…well…what you look like right now, and it isn't good. Dad wants you to keep it at a respectable length because he doesn't fancy his children running about in public looking like a mess. As if people don't talk about our family enough, he doesn't need anything else added to it."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "It's just hair, YaYa."

"Exactly," she retorted. "And if it's 'just hair' as you so definitively stated, why don't you just do yourself a favor and cut it so that you don't look like a bloody hooligan? Save your energy for something that matters, Scorp."

Huffing, Scorpius stared at his sister with doubt. "And what's worth the energy?"

"For me…it was moving in with James after Hogwarts," Anya replied. "Dad hated the idea of it, thought we both needed our own places, but it was stupid because we both knew only one place would be used. He was mad as hell about it for a week, but ultimately remembered that he and Hermione raised me and that if I was making this decision I wasn't doing so lightly, and then he caved because he knew I wasn't going to budge on my decision." She placed a hand on her belly and laughed a little as she felt the baby kick. "My relationship with James was important enough to me to stand my ground. Your hair is not. Especially since I have a sneaking feeling that you're not cutting it because he wants you to."

Having the decency to look somewhat embarrassed by his sister's on the nose suspicion, he scratched the back of his head and sighed. "It is starting to look a little bit dumb."

"Understatement of the year," Anya bluntly replied.

Scorpius sighed. "Maybe Grandma can take me into the city and we can get it cut."

"And then maybe, you can stop avoiding Dad," Anya stated. "You two have much more in common than you think."

"How do you know?"

"Because you're practically the same person."

Scorpius smirked, and eventually leaned over to give his big sister a hug, jumping back quickly as he felt the baby kick her stomach. "Bloody hell!" he shouted. "That was wicked!"

"It's not so wicked when it's kicking you all day," Anya replied with a laugh.

"It's like there's an alien in your body!"

"Do not refer to your nephew as an alien!" Anya shrieked.

"I'm going to call him alien baby," Scorpius taunted, standing up so that he was out of her reach.

"I'm going to beat you once I'm able to," she warned.

"Good," Scorpius shot back. "You're much more fun when you aren't pregnant."

Anya rolled her eyes at her brother. "When you go out with Grandpa, bring back some donuts with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. They sound delicious."

"At least you eat good things pregnant," Scorpius remarked. "Remember when Mummy put those pickles and raisins in her ice cream when she was pregnant with Katie? I almost gagged."

"That was pretty foul."

"Like, the most foul thing ever."

"I mean it though – I want donuts."

"I'll go tell Grandma right now," he promised, walking away from his sister, only to stop and turn back around. "Anya?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

Scorpius passed Hermione as he left the room, stopping momentarily to give her a hug, which she returned whole heartedly. "I'm going to go see if Grandma will take me to get my hair cut, ok?"

Hermione nodded, keeping as straight of a face as she could. "Sounds like a plan."

"And donuts!" Anya shouted.

"And donuts," Scorpius repeated with an eye roll.

Laughing, she watched Scorpius dart down the hall in search of her father before making her way towards Anya, bending over to help her pick up her crocheting that she was trying in vain to reach on her own. "There you go," she said. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged, eying the ugly maroon ball as she laced up her hook with yarn to continue her stitch. "I'm making a baby blanket in the worst color imaginable because it keeps me from wishing James would just come home."

Hermione smiled and took a seat next to her. "I saw you and Scorpius talking."

"And overheard it I'm sure," she teased.

Hermione laughed. "I heard a fair bit of it, yes," she confessed. "And I'm glad I did, because it only reaffirmed what I already knew to be true."

"Which was what?"

"That you are going to make a _wonderful_ mother, Anya," Hermione affirmed, kissing the top of her head.

Smiling, Anya blushed as she leaned her head over to Hermione's shoulder, linking an arm with hers while she sighed. "I hope so."

"You will be," she promised.

The two sat in silence for a moment before the sound of footsteps caught their attention. Both of them looked up and saw Draco, clad in his pajama pants and a t-shirt, walking into the room. "You look like shit," Anya teased with a wink.

"So do you," Draco teased, laughing at his daughter's mockingly appalled face. He nodded to the half blanket in her lap and made a face. "Speaking of shit – what is that?"

"A _horrendously_ colored baby blanket that will make my husband _blissfully_ happy," Anya said with the same face her father was making. "Damn Gryffindors."

"Hey now!" Hermione exclaimed. "I'll have you know we're the best of the bunch."

Draco moved so that he was standing behind the sofa, bracing his hands on his wife-to-be's shoulders lovingly. "Don't worry – we're well aware."

"But it doesn't make this color any less hideous," Anya added.

"Agreed," Draco replied, giving his wife's shoulders a squeeze.

Hermione sighed, shaking her head as she looked at Draco and Anya. "You both are ridiculous."

"You love it," Anya stated.

"Of course," Hermione replied. "I wouldn't have it any other way."


	33. Chapter 33

_**Sweet Mary Mother of God - the Writer's Block that invaded my brain nearly killed me. I'm sure you're all relieved to know that I survived. I think there's a few chapters left after this - which is good for you all because I have those almost written - I just needed something in the middle because I didn't like the time jump from the last chapter to where I want it to end. **_

**_I'm sure there's a few errors in it, but I've read it so !many times I wouldn't catch them if I tried. I'll read it tomorrow sometime, when my eyes aren't melding everything into one big glob of letters._**

_**Hope you guys enjoy!**_

* * *

><p>"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the wayyyyyyyyyyyy. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the wayyyyyyyyyyy. Jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the -"<p>

"Katie?"

"Yes, Daddy?"

Draco looked down at his daughter, who was helping Anya make the popcorn garland for the Christmas tree, and gave her a weary smile. "Sweetheart, you know there's more words to that song, right?"

She nodded, biting her tongue just for a moment as she carefully pushed the popcorn down the string, as she wasn't allowed to hold the needle. That was Anya's job. "That's just the part of the song that I like."

Draco swallowed a groan as Katie went back to singing the same line from the popular muggle Christmas carol. Anya laughed at her little sister continued plugging away at the popcorn garland, the bowl itself sitting in the crook of her crisscrossed legs. Her due date was a month away, and at her last healer's appointment, they said that everything looked to be going along accordingly. The only thing that was missing was James, whose mission was stretching on three months now. His letters were sparse, as his mission took up a lot of his time, but he was ok, and was hopeful he would be home for Christmas - which was in a week. Scorpius and Claire would be home from Hogwarts later that afternoon.

Leo came into the room with a plate full of freshly iced cookies. "Mummy says we can eat cookies before lunch!" he exclaimed, putting the plate on the coffee table. "And Mummy says we can go to the platform today to get Scorp and Claire!" He grabbed a cookie for each hand and took a seat next to his dad in the oversized chair he was sitting in, handing him one of the treats. "Mummy says you can have one too."

"Well isn't that nice of her," he teased, taking a bite of the snowman shaped sugar cookie. He'd been rather good since his heart attack. His diet was better, he was exercising more, and he was in as good of shape, if not better, than he was in his early twenties.

"I'm not going to the platform," Katie replied. "I'm staying here with YaYa."

"You sure?" Draco asked.

Anya played with one of the curls from Katie's pigtails. "You can go if you want, Katie. You don't have to stay with me."

"But you'll be lonely," Katie replied, stringing down another piece of popcorn. Since Anya took up residence back in the Malfoy mansion, Katie became her big sister's shadow. The only time they were separated was when Katie was in bed or at preschool. Anya knew that Katie missed James too, and she was just as ready for him to be home as she was. She thread the final pieces onto the now full popcorn garland and waited for Anya to remove the needle and tie a knot in the end. Carefully, she dragged it over to the naked tree and dropped it on the ground. She then waited for a moment, then turned around, her hands on her hips, and stared at her father. "Well, aren't you going to help me?"

With a wry smile, Draco shook his head. "Granger!" he called out instead. "Granger get in here!"

"You should really call Mummy by her first name," Leo said with a mouth full of cookie.

"Mummy wouldn't really know what to do with herself if he called me by my real name on a regular basis," Hermione replied with a laugh as she walked into the room. She stopped behind the chair Draco and Leo were sitting in and ruffled her son's hair. "You were _bellowing_ for me?" she asked Draco.

He nodded in Katie's direction. "Katie wants help putting the popcorn garland on the tree."

She noticed the glint in Draco's eyes and shook her head slightly. They'd been talking for a while now on how to get Katie to show them she could do magic, but so far, she wouldn't budge. Outside of the alley incident, the only person that had seen her do intentional magic was Anya. Looking back over at her daughter, who was looking quite put out that her father wasn't leaping up to her aid; she gave Katie a shrug and a smile. "Katie, why don't you do it?" she asked.

"The tree is bigger than me, Mummy!" Katie cried indignantly. "I can't reach the top!"

"You can use your magic," Hermione offered.

Her eyes went wide as she shook her head vehemently. "I cannot do magic outside of Hogwarts, Mummy. It's a rule."

Anya laughed. "Katie, you really can. That rule only applies if you have a wand, and you don't have a wand. Besides - nothing _bad_ really happens even if you do have a wand. I broke it all the time and all I ever got was a letter from Hermione, because she was in charge of the misuse of magic department back then."

Leo took another bite of his cookie. "Uncle Harry's the Minister, Katie. Do you really think he's going to keep you from going to Hogwarts?"

Katie thought about this for a minute, her hands perched on her hips. "You're probably right."

"I certainly don't want you to use your magic all the time," Hermione added. "I just…Mummy wants to see that you can do it. Can you do that for me?"

She thought about it for a moment, and then spun around, her green and plaid pleaded skirt flaring slightly as she picked up one end, and raised it up towards the tree before it floated out of her hand. She stood back and with her hands, made it wrap around the top of the tree, everyone watching in slight awe as the garland delicately wrapped its way quite evenly around the tree until it reached the bottom. Turning around, she saw her mother staring, a hand over her mouth, while her father looked at her proudly.

"All I can do is make my door open and shut," Leo said as he finished his cookie. "And other things…but only if I'm really, really mad."

"Mummy?" Katie asked. "Mummy are you crying? Are you mad at me!"

Hermione shook her head know and squatted down, wiping the stray tear away from her eye as Katie ran over to her. "Mummy isn't mad at all, sweetheart," she whispered, kissing her daughter's cheek as she hugged her tight.

"I know it's not normal," Katie replied. "When I showeded YaYa, she said a swear."

Hermione released her hold on Katie and held her hands, giving her daughter a bright smile. "Your right, it isn't normal for someone as small as you to be able to do magic like that. It is very rare. But just like the rest of your siblings, you were never, ever, meant to be normal. You're extraordinary, and you have been from the moment we met."

Katie's grin beamed from ear to ear as she looked over at her father, who nodded in agreement. "It's true," Draco confessed. "It was the first thing I thought when I saw you."

Hermione picked Katie up and held her on her hip. "What did you think when you first sawed Leo?" Katie asked.

"I thought I'd managed to successfully replicate Scorpius," Draco said with a laugh, hugging an arm around Leo as he kissed the top of his head. "It was only later when I realized that it was a miniature me with the same demeanor as his mother."

"What about Scorpius?" Leo asked. "What did you think when you saw Scorpius for the first time?"

Draco scratched the back of his head as he looked over at Hermione, who smiled sweetly in return. "When I first saw Scorp…all I could think of was that I finally had a boy…and hoped he didn't want to play dress up."

Anya let out a genuine laugh as she rubbed a hand on what she referred to as her obscenely large belly. "Daddy played a lot of dress up back in the day," she informed. "Lots of dress up and lots of tea parties."

"What about Claire and YaYa?" Katie asked.

Draco scratched his chin as he sighed. "Well…" he started to say. "When I saw Claire…I thought she looked just like my mother's baby pictures. In fact, Claire bears a very strong resemblance to your Nana Cissa."

"Do you think Nana Cissa would have liked us if she got to meet us?" Leo asked.

Nodding, Draco looked over at Anya, the only one of his children that had real memories of his mother, and she agreed. "She would have loved you, and Katie, and Scorpius very much, just like she did with me and Claire. She was a very, very special lady."

"And when I saw Anya," Draco added, looking right at his eldest quite fondly. "Well…I didn't know what to think. Malfoy men for centuries always had sons as their firstborn children…and Anya was the first girl born into the Malfoy family over a half a century. When that healer handed her to me…I just…I don't know. I couldn't believe something as sweet and beautiful as you could actually be mine."

Anya clapped a hand over her heart. "Aw, Dad, really?"

"Well, the sweet eventually wore off, but you're still beautiful," he teased, ducking the throw pillow that Anya immediately chucked in his general direction.

"What do you think you'll think when you meet Jamie?" Katie asked her sister, who was sticking her tongue out at their Dad.

She shrugged, her hands caressing the sides of her belly. "I don't know, Katie. But when I do, I promise I'll tell you."

* * *

><p>Claire was lucky enough to find herself in a train cabin alone, a common occurrence as a fair few students often found themselves staying at Hogwarts over the holiday break. With her anatomy book in hand, she opened it up and pulled the paperwork out that Grandpa Richard had sent her a few weeks ago. It was for a summer class at a muggle university, which they offered to high school students who were interested in medical studies. Professor McGonagall had reassured Claire that if this was something she was seriously considering, that Hogwarts and the Ministry could produce 'paperwork' that showed where she would be in terms of grades and school level, as the university probably wouldn't know what to do with a Hogwarts transcript. Reading about facial muscles and nerves seemed to be the best way to take her mind off last night's annual Yule Ball. She propped up the heels of her sneaker clad feet against the edge of the bench and propped up her book against her legs and began to read.<p>

She was so mad at herself, for not taking Hermione's advice and keeping her nose in her books. She'd been doing incredibly well lately at school. Her grades were better than they'd ever been and her professors were impressed with her hard work. Claire had even been helping Scorp with his studies, as they both were aware that the looming threat of his grades not being better this term would put an end to quidditch was not so much a threat, but a promise. So when she was asked to go to the Yule Ball by Dexter Boot, widely regarded around school as one of the most handsome boys on campus, she hardly had it in her to say no. _After all,_ she thought to herself when he asked. _This is what Hermione was talking about. Things happen when you don't go looking for them._

All of her friends were jealous of her date. It's all they could giggle and gossip about in the month leading up to the dance. Claire already had a suitable dress for the ball that she'd brought with her to school, having picked it out with Hermione over the summer when they happened to stumble upon it by accident. It was a turquoise green, strapless with a sweetheart neckline. The bodice part was fitted and bedazzled with green and blue gemstones, while the bottom half was layered with different hues of the turquoise green chiffon, flowing straight down to the floor when standing still, floating effortlessly as she walked. She wore her hair down, charming it to have a beach type wave, tossed on a bit of makeup, and met him in the Slytherin common room. Just like he'd been since he asked her to the dance, Dexter was charming and a gentlemen, asking her to dance and brining her water without being asked. She could hardly help but blush at his attention. _This must be what Anya feels like_, she told herself as they danced on the floor.

When the dance was over, Dexter held her hand all the way back to the Slytherin dorms, stopping just short of the door and pulling her around a corridor to an empty classroom. She tried to ask him what he was doing, but his lips were on hers before she could finish the sentence. It was hardly Claire's first kiss, as she had no problem kissing boys and had been doing so since primary school. However, it was the first sort of kiss for Claire in terms of what Dexter's intentions were, and it made her feel uneasy. She pulled away, placing both of his hands on his chest to keep him at an arms length.

A knock on the door about an hour later pulled her out of her thoughts as she looked over to the door. Claire was shocked to see Albus Potter standing at the door, pointing into her cabin. Nodding, Albus opened the door and slid it shut behind him. "I had a meeting with McGonagall today," he said. "Thought I'd catch a ride back on the train."

Claire smiled as she shut her book with one hand. "Reminiscing?"

"A little," he said with a laugh. "Remember your first train ride?"

Laughing, Claire slid her book back into her bag and placed it up on the bench in between her and Albus as he took a seat next to her. "I think I held your hand the entire way there."

"You did," Albus confirmed. "None of us could tell if you were excited or scared, or just a whole lot of both."

"Both," Claire replied. Her long blond locks were up in a braided bun with a charm Anya told her about last year. It was the perfect hairdo when she didn't want to do anything to her hair, like today, or when she had quidditch practice or a game. Playing without a ponytail flying around was much better than playing with one, especially when the weather was horrid. She played with the cuffs of her sweater as she and Albus sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments. "So why did you have a meeting with Professor McGonagall?"

Albus gave her a small smile. "Don't say anything yet, but I'm moving back. Hagrid wants to retire, and McGonagall says that if I want it, the groundskeeper job is mine, along with teaching courses on magical creatures…so I accepted."

Claire gasped. "You're giving up the dragon reserve? But you love that job!"

"I do…I did." Albus said with a sigh. He scratched at the jacket sleeve covering his arm and shrugged his shoulders. "Grace and I broke up about a month ago -"

"You broke up with Grace!" Claire shrieked. "But…Anya said…I mean, I thought you were going to, you know, propose."

Al nodded. "I did. She said no."

"She did not!"

"She did, Claire. I asked her to marry me on her birthday. Took her Paris, went to dinner, we got back to the hotel and I asked her and she said no."

Claire was flabbergasted. Not that she felt bad for Grace, considering her general dislike for her. Most people thought Grace Longbottom was a sweet girl and it's not that Claire disagreed with the sentiment. She just thought that Grace was too sweet - to the point of being the most irritating person on the planet with her constant chipper demeanor. In fact - Grace was so nice that Claire couldn't even fathom the fact that Grace was the one that called it off. "Can I ask why she said no?"

Albus shrugged. "I don't know. I don't even know if she knows. All she said was that she couldn't…and she thought we were just evolving into different people than we used to be, whatever that means. Anyway, she left our house in Romania and took a job in America working at some botanical place in New York City, so…yeah."

"I'm sorry," Claire offered, reaching over to put a hand on his arm.

"Why are you sorry?" Albus snapped. "I know you hated her."

"Just because I didn't like her doesn't mean I can't feel sorry for you. You're my friend," Claire replied.

Sighing, Albus leaned back against the bench and looked over at her. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Claire said. "I know you loved her…I'm sure your feelings were hurt when she said no."

"Hurt's an understatement, Claire Bear."

She blushed slightly at his use of her childhood nickname. "Well, if you want my opinion, Grace didn't know what she had, and I'm certain she will regret the decision." She pulled her hand back and began to pick at her nails.

Albus let out a halfhearted laugh. "Doubtful. I don't think she much cared for my job, Romania, or really me once we moved out there. Our relationship was strained, I guess, the past several months."

She looked at him. "If it wasn't good, why propose?"

"I didn't think it could make things worse," Albus replied. "I thought maybe part of her was upset because she moved for me and was living somewhere that she didn't particularly care for without a commitment, so I bought her a ring. I thought we were soul mates…and yeah…not so much."

Claire crossed one of her long legs over the other at her ankles as she slouched against the bench a bit. "Hermione says that when you're in a relationship with someone, even if you think you are soul mates, that they have to be more than just soul mates. They have to be everything." She looked over at him and shrugged. "She's usually right about these sorts of things."

"She usually is," Albus replied with a lackluster smile. "So yeah…that's what's happening with me. What about you? Anything new?"

She shook her head no. "It's been a pretty quiet year."

"No dashing suitors?"

"Boys my age are foul," Claire retorted in a bitter tone. "Besides, Hermione says I shouldn't waste my time on boys and I should keep my focus on school…I'm starting to think she's right."

"She's usually right about those sorts of things," Albus teased.

"Touché," Claire replied dully. She turned on the seat bench, leaning her back against the small part of the cabin wall next to the window and put her feet up on the bench, her knees bent as she picked at her nails.

Albus moved her bag to the floor and scooted closer to Claire, pulling her bent legs over and laid them in his lap. "I was with your brother and my sister earlier. He said something happened last night at the dance, but you won't talk about it."

She shook her head no. "It was nothing."

"You sure?" Albus asked. "Because you're like my another sister to me, Claire, and if someone did something to you -"

"I took care of it," Claire snapped, immediately regretting her tone as she looked down to her lap.

"So something did happen."

"Al?" Claire asked, her tone nearly begging. "Please…just…I don't want to talk about it." Feeling warm in the cabin, she pulled up the sleeves of her sweaters, only to spot the bruises on her wrist. She went to pull her sleeves back down, but Albus saw them to, and stopped her. "I meant to heal them this morning," she mumbled, managing to pull her arm away and her sleeve down."

Albus' cheeks grew red. "That doesn't look like nothing."

"Well I'm sure a bruised wrist beats bruised testicles," Claire snarked. "He had a hold of me…I was trying to leave…and he wouldn't let go so I let him think he changed my mind, and then I jammed my knee into his crotch."

Albus was still angry. "Who did this?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It absolutely matters!" he hissed.

"Does it? Nothing happened!"

"Your wrist says otherwise!"

Claire went to argue again, but the cabin door sliding open with Lily Potter sticking her head in with a distraught look on her face interrupted her. "Scorpius and Dexter Boot are fighting and I need help!" she exclaimed.

The two of them leapt off of the bench and followed Lily down the train car aisle, pushing past the nosey students as they reached the back Slytherin where the booths and benches were. Claire was certain as she and Albus pushed the students watching from behind he'd find Scorpius flat on his back in the aisle, but instead it was Dexter, with Scorpius sitting on top of him, wailing his fists against the seventh year's face. "You bloody prick! You call my sister a whore again and I'll -"

Albus snagged Scorpius off of Dexter before he could finish his sentence, moving the overzealous and furious second year behind him in the aisle, setting him on his feet. "Are you crazy? Who attacks someone twice their size?"

"I was holding my own!" Scorpius shouted. "And you didn't hear what he called my sister!"

Albus turned around and held out a hand to Dexter, helping pull him up to his feet. He glared at the seventh year, remembering him quite well as it wasn't that long ago that he was a seventh year student in Slytherin House. "Lucky for you, Boot, I'm the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts," he told Dexter. "Because if I wasn't, you'd be unconscious." He turned around and looked at Scorpius. "25 points from Slytherin House from fighting, and detention for two weeks when we return."

"Are you serious!" Scorpius exclaimed. "But he called Claire -"

"It doesn't matter," Albus replied, giving him a look that told him to zip it. Turning back to Dexter, he glared at him as the seventh year took a handkerchief from his pocket, pressing it against his bleeding nose and upper lip. "50 points from Slytherin House for calling a fellow classmate a derogatory name, and you will have detention every week with me for the remainder of the year."

Dexter snorted. "Bull shit, Potter. You know that won't stand."

Albus took a small step forward so that he was nearly nose-to-nose. "Try me."

Claire led Lily and Scorpius down towards her cabin, knowing Albus would be soon following. She ushered them into her cabin, waiting for Albus to walk inside a few moments later before sliding the door shut. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy - what on earth were you thinking! Dexter could have seriously hurt you!"

"I don't care," Scorpius retorted. "He called you a _whore_, and a _slut_, and a -"

"In Scorp's defense," Lily interjected. "Dexter had it coming. He was telling all of his friends what the two of you were um, doing, after the dance. He said that you two…did things…and then you left him and then he called you a name that I won't repeat but it was worse than anything Scorp repeated and that's when your brother hexed him, then jumped on top of him." She took a seat next to Albus and looked up at him. "Are you really going to teach at Hogwarts?"

He nodded, wrapping an arm around his little sister. "Is that ok with you?"

Lily nodded enthusiastically. "Does Mum know you're coming back yet?"

"Nope. Can you keep it a secret until I tell her?"

"Of course," Lily promised. "This is going to be so exciting!"

Albus gave a half laugh. "I figure it'll soften the blow when I tell her and Dad about me and Grace."

Lily frowned. "Am I still the only one that knows?"

"I was telling Claire about it earlier," he replied.

Claire knelt down in front of Scorpius as he sat on the bench to take a look at his face. Despite throwing most of the punches, it appeared by looking at her brother's left eye and cheek that Dexter managed a punch or two. "I can't fix this," she said about the bruising. "I need a bruise paste, and it's in my trunk. I could put a glamour charm on it but you know Hermione will see right through it."

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't care if Mum or Dad sees it. I'm not sorry. Not sorry a bit. I know you didn't do those things with Dexter - I saw you after the dance and you looked scared, even though you tried not to. Bloody git. I'd do it again. No one messes with my sister."

* * *

><p>"Scorpius!" Hermione shouted as she spotted his blond head first, standing on her tiptoes and waving at him through the crowd. Draco waved as well as Leo, standing in between his parents.<p>

Scorpius arrived with his trunk and lizard in tow, smiling at his parents. "Claire's coming. Albus was at Hogwarts this morning and he rode the train back with us."

Hermione grabbed Scorpius' chin and moved his face towards her. "What on earth happened to your eye? And your cheek? They're swollen! Draco! Look at his face!"

"It's nothing," Scorpius replied, batting Hermione's hand away, though he was rather unsuccessful at it. "Really Mum! It's fine! Merlin!"

Draco scowled at his son. "Don't 'Merlin' your mother. What did you do? It looks too fresh to be a quidditch bruise."

Not holding back, Scorpius launched into his story about what happened, animatedly waving his hands about as if it were helping him make his point when Claire approached her family, with the Potter family following behind her. Claire looked down at the ground, embarrassed, as both her father and Harry looked to be seeing red.

"Where is he?" Draco asked quickly. "Who is he? Point him out right now, Claire."

"Dad, Scorpius already beat the hell out of him," Claire said with a sigh.

"I don't care. I don't care one bit!"

"If you don't care does that mean I won't be grounded?" Scorpius asked.

Hermione put a hand on Draco's arm. "Draco, she's clearly upset about all of this," she quietly commented. "And it sounds like Albus handled it…so let's just get home, ok?"

Not having a real choice with Hermione's solution, he instead took Claire's trunk from her and gave Claire a look, unsure what to even say to her but he could see that she was ready to cry. "Who was it?" he asked quietly. "You can tell me."

Claire looked up and saw Dexter Boot, walking with his parents, shooting her a glare while sporting a fat lip and one gigantic black eye. Draco looked over at the boy, whose sneer turned to instant shock and horror as his walk sped up, eager to get out of his line of sight. Draco then looked at Scorpius, who seemed quite proud of his handy work as he shot the Boot kid a menacing stare. "Can we just go?" Claire asked instead. "Please?"

Hermione nodded, motioning for Claire to come to her as they walked over towards the port key that would take them back to the mansion. "Harry, do you all want to come with?" she asked. "We're just putting up Christmas decorations. I'm sure Anya would love to see you - especially you guys," Hermione said, looking at both Albus and Lily

Harry looked over at Ginny, who agreed with a nod. "Sounds wonderful," Harry replied.

They made their way to their cars, Harry with his Ministry vehicle that looked like a regular black sedan on the outside but was magicked to function like a limousine on the inside. With the school trunks loaded up, Hermione suggested that Scorp and Leo ride with the Potters, which they eagerly agreed to as Ginny ushered them inside the car. Ginny was ready to climb into the car herself when she saw Terry Boot looking mad as hell, walking over to them as he dragged his son along by the shirt collar. "Draco, Hermione," Ginny said, nodding towards the two approaching them.

Hermione and Draco looked, Claire standing close to her father as Terry shoved his son in front of him. "My son has something he wishes to say to you, Miss Malfoy."

Claire looked up at him as Draco wrapped a fatherly, protective arm around her waist. She stared at him for a moment before she heard him quietly apologize.

"I don't think anyone heard you," his father snapped.

Dexter looked up at Claire and sighed. "I'm sorry…for last night…and the things I said on the train."

"Feel free not to forgive him," Mr. Boot interjected, shaking his head with disdain at his son. "Hermione, Draco, I'm genuinely sorry this happened. I saw him get off the train and he my son isn't a very good liar when it came to explaining the licks on his face. I'm completely appalled by his behavior, as is his mother. We promise that this will be dealt with and that these actions will _not_ be tolerated."

Hermione opened the back door of her SUV and ushered Claire inside. "Thank you, Terry," she curtly, but kindly replied. "We appreciate you coming over here."

"Though it would be best if you steered clear of my daughter," Draco added with a snarl. "If you see her walking towards you, my suggestion is that you _choose_ another _direction_."

Dexter nodded quickly, his eyes down at the ground. "Yes…yes Sir."

As Terry Boot dragged his son away, berating him in the process for his actions, Draco climbed into the backseat of their car and Hermione shut the door behind him. She looked over at Harry and gave him a weary smile. "See you at the house, Mister Minister?"

Harry laughed. "Admit it - you're jealous of my fancy work car."

"Hardly," she scoffed. "I've been in cars with Ministry drivers. You should be lucky I let my sons in there with you."

Her best friend rolled his eyes as Ginny laughed. "We'll see you at the house."

Keys in hand, Hermione gave them both a wave as she walked around the car to the driver's side. Climbing in, she buckled her seat belt and looked at Draco and Claire through the rearview mirror. Claire's head was resting in her father's lap as Draco quietly ran a repeated hand over the top of her head against the slicked back part of her hairdo. The look on Claire's face alone, the lone tear that fell from the corner of her eye as it followed across her cheek and sliding down the edge of her nose, told Hermione that Claire was embarrassed more than anything. The look on Claire's face was nearly heart breaking, but it didn't take more than fifteen minutes on the road before her tears stopped and she fell asleep.

Halfway home, Hermione could see the gears in Draco's head turning as he kept a hand on his daughter's back. "It'll be ok," she quietly spoke, looking at him through the rear view mirror.

"I know," Draco replied. "I'm just trying to resist the overwhelming urge I have to kill Boot's kid."

"Well he just may beat you to it," Hermione dryly replied. "I don't think I've ever seen him that furious."

Draco scowled. "I don't care. I guarantee I'm a hell of a lot more pissed off than he is. His kid had the audacity to -"

"We don't even know her side of the story yet," Hermione gently cut him off. "Before we make assumptions about what happened last night, let's ask her later, ok?"

"I honestly don't even know if I want to know, Hermione," Draco confessed. "Because if it's as bad as I think it is…"

"Even if it is, it's been taken care of," Hermione warned him. "You don't need to make it worse. It's clear that she's obviously embarrassed."

Pulling into the large circle driveway of the mansion, Hermione parked her car inside the garage Draco had built just for her shortly after she moved in and Harry's driver parked his car in the driveway behind her. Harby and Vexo toddled their way into the garage, both of them wearing the lambs wool slippers Katie picked out for them at the store last week. She was incredibly concerned that the elves were barefoot all the time, even in the winter, and while Draco did his best to explain to his daughter that the elves barely tolerated wearing clothes, she was insistent upon getting them slippers. Draco was for sure the elves would protest, but to his surprise, they both found the soft, cushy, and warm foot coverings rather delightful, and had declared that they would wear them every day.

While the elves apparated Scorpius and Claire's belongings up to their rooms, Draco gently shook his daughter awake. "Claire Bear," he whispered. "Come on, princess, we're home."

Claire stirred and mumbled something incoherent. It took a moment, but she finally sat up, digging the sleep from her eyes, one at a time with her left hand. Looking at her father, she felt tears well up in her eyes again. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Draco smiled at her, shaking his head. "What on earth are you sorry for? Did you do anything wrong?"

She shook her head no.

"Well then you shouldn't apologize."

"But Scorpius - he got into that fight because of me and I know Hermione is going to want to punish him. She hates fighting."

Draco leaned in and kissed Claire's forehead. "Hermione and I will work out an appropriate punishment for your brother. I promise it won't be too bad, considering the fact that he was defending you."

She choked on a laugh as she wiped away the tears from her eyes before they could fall. "The kid…he was like a spider monkey - Albus literally had to pull him off of Dexter."

"So I heard," Draco dryly replied. "Let's get inside - this car is bloody cold when the heater isn't on."

* * *

><p>Despite missing her husband like crazy, Anya did her best to keep a positive outlook while staying at her parents' house, and that positive outlook focused in on Leo and Katie. The age gap between the two of them and her was so big, that she was often times more like another parent than she was a sister. She sometimes felt this way about Scorpius too, but because he was away at Hogwarts, she was used to only seeing him in the summer time. Katie was the one she missed out on the most with, as she was still at home and in school when Scorp and Leo were little, but not so much with Katie. In fact, these past few months marked the first time that she and her littlest sister lived under the same roof, and she'd be lying if she didn't admit that she'd miss it when James came home.<p>

She and Katie spent their afternoon while their parents were away doing all sorts of things. They made snowmen out of construction paper and glued cotton to the paper to make them look snowy. They baked more cookies with the extra dough Hermione left for them, topping them off with icing and sprinkles so they'd be ready for Claire and Scorp when they got home. They decorated her room with a red and green paper chain, read all sorts of books, watched _The Little Mermaid_, and convinced Harby to make them a chocolate cake with extra icing to eat while they watched their movie.

Snuggled up on the couch together, sharing a blanket as they ate their gigantic pieces of cake, Katie looked up at her sister and sighed. "I'm going to be really sad when you gots to go back home."

Anya smiled as Katie cuddled closer to her. "I'm going to be sad too. We've had fun together, haven't we?"

Katie nodded as she placed her plate carefully in her lap. "Do you think you'll be too busy to be my sister when Jamie comes?"

Finishing the bite in her mouth, Anya ungracefully placed her half eaten plate of cake on the coffee table, then did the same with Katie's. Hugging her close, she looked into her sister's big brown eyes and nuzzled her nose against hers. "I'll never be too busy to be your sister. That will never happen."

"Promise?"

"Pinky promise," Anya stated, offering up one of her pinky fingers to link with one of hers. "And when Jamie comes, and things settle down, maybe we can have sleepovers at my flat. Remember how we couldn't before because I was always dancing?"

Katie nodded, her face hopeful.

"Well, even after I have Jamie, I won't be working, so we'll have lots of time to spend together. Does that sound good?"

"Yes," Katie said, nodding quickly. She put her hand over on Anya's belly and pulled her face close. "Did you hear that, Jamie? Your mummy says I can come spend the night and we can play when you come out!"

When Jamie responded to Katie's voice with a kick, Anya laughed as Katie's eyes about bugged out of her head. "Did you feel that!" she cried.

"All day," Anya replied with a laugh. "This child kicks all day long. I think he misses Daddy."

Katie sighed. "I miss James too. I wish he could come home now."

"Me too, Katie," Anya confessed. "Me too."

As the end of _The Little Mermaid _came near, they could hear the sound of the kitchen door open and shut, and the clamoring of footsteps that got louder as they came closer. Anya reached for the remote and shut of the DVD player as Scorpius, Leo, and Lily came into the room, each with a cookie in hand. "Hi Anya!" Lily exclaimed, leaning down to hug her sister-in-law with one arm.

"Hey Lil," Anya replied, returning the hug. "I see you guys found the cookies."

"They're delicious," Scorpius replied.

"We made them," Katie informed her brother as she crawled up onto her knees, reaching her arms out to him. Scorpius complied, leaning down to give his sister a big hug and a kiss. "I put Mr. Bear back in your room for you."

"Thanks," Scorpius replied.

"What happened to your face?" Anya suddenly asked, grabbing his chin much like Hermione did on the platform. "Did someone hit you?"

Scorpius snorted. "Yeah, but don't worry, the other guy looks worse. Come on, Leo. Let's go get Spike and put him in his cage."

"What the hell?" Anya asked Lily as the boys scampered off.

Lily shook her head. "It's a long story, but Claire should probably tell you. She'll want to tell you, more than likely. Oh - and Albus is here."

"Al's here?" Anya replied. She reached her hands out to Lily, who laughed in return as she helped pull Anya up from the couch. "What's he doing back?"

Lily shoved the rest of the cookie in her mouth and picked Katie up off the couch, giving her a hug as she chewed up the rest of her treat. "You should probably let him explain that one, too."

A hand on her lower back, Anya made her way towards the kitchen, where she found everyone else. Claire nearly tackled her, Anya luckily catching a hand on the kitchen island as her sister flung her arms around her, burying her face into her neck. "What the hell - Claire? Claire what's a matter?"

"Lily," Hermione said with a smile. "Could you be a darling and…"

Lily nodded, catching the hint. "Let's go play upstairs, Katie."

"Can we read a story?" Katie asked.

"We can do whatever you want," Lily promised, carrying her past the grown ups and marched up the staircase and out of earshot.

Claire continued to silently cry as Anya rubbed a hand up and down her sister's back. She looked over at her father and Hermione, then over at Albus who clearly knew what was happening. "Well?" Anya asked. "Is anyone going to explain?"

Albus carefully began to recount what Claire told him on the train, mentioning the bruises on her wrist and what had transpired at the dance the night before, which only cause Claire to cry harder, but she didn't move. He then explained what happened on the train with Scorpius, Anya's eyes wide as Albus told the story with only a hint of a chuckle.

"You're telling me that Scorpius, who is barely 100 pounds soaking wet, beat the shit out of a seventh year?"

"I have a feeling that the hex he hit him with prior to waylaying him was a sticking jinx," Albus replied, suppressing a grin as it was clear that Hermione was unhappy about the fight. "Can't say I blame him though. If I had heard Dexter Boot calling Claire those names, I would have knocked him out."

Claire's cries calmed down as Anya kissed her temple. "Let's go upstairs, alright?" she whispered in her sister's ear.

Nodding, Claire pulled her head up and let Anya lead her towards the stairs. Draco, Hermione, Ginny, Harry, and Albus stood in the kitchen, all of them with minds reeling. It only took a few moments, however, for Draco's anger to get the best of him as he picked up a dirty coffee mug from the sink and promptly threw it down, startling everyone as it smashed into a million pieces.

Hermione sighed, throwing a open hand up in the air, quickly shutting it as fast as it dropped. "And that helps?" she asked.

Draco whipped his head around and stared at Hermione. "Don't do it," he said, practically daring her. "Don't tell me that I don't get to feel angry that some insolent piece of spineless trash tried to get my daughter to…to…just don't tell me what to feel, alright! I'm fucking mad as hell right now!"

"All I'm saying, is that breaking dishes won't change anything," Hermione calmly replied. Pulling her wand from her pocket, she muttered _repairo_ and the mug magically fused itself back together. "I'm going to go check on the girls. Once you've calmed down, decide on what you want to do with Scorpius."

Draco looked at her. "Why do I have to decide?"

"Because with the way you're feeling right now, I honestly don't know where you are," Hermione replied. "We have completely different views when it comes to fighting, but I know he wouldn't have done it had Dexter not called Claire those awful names."

Albus rocked back and forth on his feet for a moment, figuring he could break up the tension between Draco and Hermione with his own news. "I did give Scorp two weeks detention, and took away 25 house points for fighting, if it's worth anything."

"And how did you do that?" Ginny asked.

"Well…you're looking at the newest groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts," Albus replied. Ginny shrieked in delight at the news of her middle son moving home, launching a hug only a mother could give a child as Albus returned the hug with a laugh. "Consider this your Christmas present, Mum," Albus teased as she kissed his cheek.

Draco looked over at Hermione, who shrugged and clapped her hands softly together as she disappeared up the back staircase. He dragged a hand through his thinning hair and looked over at Harry, who was giving Albus a congratulatory hug of his own. "You being at Hogwarts makes me feel better about her going back," he admitted, taking a seat on one of the island stools. "It doesn't suppress my urge to choke the life out of that kid, mind you, but I feel a little better."

"I don't know the whole story," Albus admitted. "I think she'll probably tell her sister more."

Harry scratched the back of his head and walked over to Draco, taking a seat next to him. "It'll all sort itself out, Malfoy."

"I'm not going to stop being pissed."

"She's not even my daughter and _I'm_ pissed," Harry stated matter-of-factly.

The sound of the front door chimes echoed throughout the house. Groaning, Draco pulled himself up from the barstool and trudged out of the kitchen, grousing at who could possibly be on the other side as the doorbell chimed again. "Keep your bloody pants on!" Draco shouted as he made his way into the foyer. As the doorbell rang again, Draco was ready to spit nails as he wrenched the doorknob and yanked it open.

"Do you know how insulting it is for everyone in my family _but_ me to be able to get into your house?"

* * *

><p>Anya stood in front of her sister in the bathroom that connected their rooms as she sat on top of the vanity. Claire had stripped her sweater away, sitting in just a tank top and her jeans, her arm outstretched to show Anya the clear as day handprint that had been left by her Yule Ball date. Shaking her head, Anya was taking notice that her sister was wincing when she used the faintest of pressure in examining the wrist.<p>

"Claire?"

"Yeah?"

"When Dexter…when he grabbed you, did he just grab you, or did he twist your wrist in the process?"

She shrugged, sniffling slightly. "I don't know, I think he twisted it. I thought it looked kind of swollen this morning."

Anya put the cap back on the bruise paste and put it down on the counter. "Can you bend it?" she asked.

"Not really," Claire admitted.

A light knock on the door pulled their attention to Hermione, who cautiously stood in the doorway. "If you want me to go -"

Claire shook her head no. "You can stay."

Anya motioned for Hermione to come in, gingerly holding her sister's arm for Hermione to examine. "I think it might be fractured," she quietly spoke.

Hermione frowned at the bruises. "Darling, what happened?" she asked Claire. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Sniffling, Claire nodded, looking everywhere but at them as she began to recant last night's events.

"_I don't know what you want, but I'm not ready for this." _

"_Sure you are," Dexter purred._

_She shook her head, pushing him back as she tried to get off of the classroom desk she'd somehow found herself sitting upon. "I'm really not." _

"_You wouldn't have worn this dress if you weren't ready," he purred again. Stronger than her, he moved her hands from his chest and leaned into kiss her again, only to be met with the palm of her hand smacking across his face. "What the fuck!" he shouted._

_Claire jumped off of the table and walked towards the classroom door quickly, but found herself being pulled back by a tight grasp around her wrist. "Dexter, I swear if you touch me again -"_

"_You'll what?" Dexter asked with a laugh. "What will you do, Claire Malfoy? Hex me?" _

_She swallowed the lump forming in her throat._

"_You know you want it," he continued, pulling her close. "The way you dress, the way you strut around school, batting your eyes and tossing your hair. No one acts like that unless they want this sort of attention. And now you have it." He moved a hand to the back of her dress and began to pull down the zipper. _

_Claire shook her head no, trying to squirm out of his grasp with little luck. "If that's what you think…well, I've obviously changed my mind. Now let go of my wrist." _

"_And if I don't?" he asked, her dress completely unzipped. Claire pulled her other hand up quick, holding the front of her dress to her chest to keep it from falling down._

_Claire inhaled sharply, exhaled, and did her best to smile at him. Taking a few willing steps towards the desk she was previously sitting on; she sat down on top of it. She felt him relax his grip slightly; smirking as if he'd managed to convince her to stay. She waited for him to tilt his head down to her, his lips almost to hers, yet they never met. Instead, Claire hitched her knee up directly into Dexter's groin, and helped his crumpled self fall to the ground with a kick to his chest as he hollered in pain. "What can I say?" she said, rubbing a hand around her sore wrist. "You were asking for it." _

As she finished her story, she could see Hermione thinking, a hand over her mouth, while Anya looked about as angry as her father was. Holding her swollen wrist to her chest with her other hand, she looked over at Hermione, who inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Honey…this is clearly bigger than what I previously assumed had happened."

"Meaning…"

"Meaning, we need to go to St. Mungo's for starters to have your wrist looked at. You may need a cast depending on if it's fractured or worse - broken. And they're going to want to know how it happened, and -"

"No," Claire said, vehemently shaking her head. "That will just make everything worse."

"Claire! He practically assaulted you!" Anya cried. "You can't go back to school with him if he's there. It isn't safe! He should be _expelled_!"

She continued to shake her head. "If he gets expelled than everyone will know."

"Everyone doesn't have to know," Hermione said, speaking gently but firm. "Your father and Harry can keep it quiet."

"But the fight on the train and I just…it'll make it worse!" Claire cried. "Please Mummy, please don't make me do this."

Claire buried her head into Hermione's bosom as she cried again, Hermione sighing as she looked over at Anya, who seemed to disagree with her sister. Claire had never called her 'mum' before in any sort of context, and its use in this moment was not lost on Hermione. However, she was furious at the events Claire had just rehashed for them, and would not be able to live with herself if something wasn't done. "We have to do something," she said softly into Claire's ear. "Let me speak with your father. We'll figure something out, ok?"

Nodding, Claire lifted her head, and Anya offered her a tissue. "Ginny can probably heal your arm, but it'll hurt less if you go to St. Mungo's."

"Do we have to tell Dad?" Claire asked.

"I can…gloss over some things…" Hermione carefully spoke. "But I can't not tell him."

"And we can't put this bruise paste on it…not until a report is filed," Anya added quietly.

Claire wiped her eyes with her good hand and nodded. "Can I take a shower first?"

Hermione nodded, kissing her forehead. "I'll be downstairs."

"I'll stay though if you want," Anya offered.

Her sister nodded as she stood up off of the vanity. "Alright."

* * *

><p>Flabbergasted, Draco's irritation quickly melted away as he stared at his son-in-law, a cast on his right arm, looking exhausted. Recovering, he moved out of the way and motioned for James to walk inside. "That's the ward I threw up around the house to keep you from sneaking over when I figured out you and my daughter were having <em>sex<em> during your last year at Hogwarts."

James laughed as he dropped his duffle bag. "Please. Like I was brave enough to try sleeping with your daughter in this house."

"Fair point."

"Besides, she just snuck over to mine room instead," he teased.

Draco let out a weak laugh, shaking his head as he pulled James into a hug. "We've missed you around here," he said as he let him go. "It's been a shit day - but you're parents are in the kitchen. Your brother included."

James laughed as he shrugged his coat off, mindful of the cast on his arm. "Sounds convenient. Where's my wife?"

Sighing, Draco braced his hands on James' shoulder as he led him towards his parents. "She's upstairs with her sister, which will be explained once we get to the kitchen."

Shoving him through the swing back door, James was met with three stunned faces. "James!" Ginny exclaimed, running over to her eldest to give him a bone-crushing hug. "Oh my boy, oh you sweet boy - you're home! You're home!"

Laughing, he gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, and a hug before prying her off of him. "Jesus Mum - did you think I was dead?" He looked over his mother, who chose to hug him again, at his father and gave him a nod. "We caught them, by the way. And I don't believe that I will ever believe you again when you say a mission should only take about three weeks. Next week would have been three months."

Harry gave his son a remorseful smile. "If I had a galleon for every time that happened to me in my early career, I'd have a separate fortune."

"Al - what the hell are you doing here? I figured I wouldn't see you until Christmas Day," James said, grabbing his brother's hand and pulling him in for a manly sort of hug.

Albus clapped a hand on his brother's back and pulled away. "Well, I proposed to Grace, she said no, she moved to New York, I took a job at Hogwarts, so…yeah. Here I am."

James went wide-eyed as he stared at his brother. "No shit? She said no?"

"No shit, she said no," Albus repeated.

"Dude…that sucks man. Sorry."

Albus shrugged. "Not much you can do. She said we were growing apart anyway…and when I think about it, I think she was probably right."

Draco opened up the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers. "Who wants one?" he asked.

Albus raised his hand and Draco tossed one in his direction, and then another to Harry. James declined as he took a seat on an empty barstool. "So…what's happening upstairs?"

His brother began giving him a rundown of what he knew while managing to break the tension a little bit as he described how he found Scorpius attacking the Boot kid. "I mean, it was insane. This kid is the scrappiest kid I have ever seen. Did you have the balls as a second year to attack a seventh year? Because I didn't!"

James laughed as both Draco and Harry shook their heads while nursing their beers. "I believe it," Harry said. "When Scorpius decides to do something, he does it. Always has."

"Yeah - he gets it from his mother," Draco muttered. His son had more guts than ever had as a child - there was no way he could claim that Scorpius got it from him. Taking another swig of his beer, he leaned against the countertop and sighed. "Hermione's pretty pissed about him fighting though."

"He was defending his sister," James stated. "I don't see how myself or Al would have acted any differently if it had been Lily."

"Hermione's right though," Ginny interjected. "You can't let him think that punching any idiot who speaks ill of his family or friends is ok."

"Sure I can," Draco wryly replied, taking another drink of his beer.

They heard footsteps come down the kitchen stairs, and soon saw Hermione with a less than impressed look on her face. She walked over to her husband, stole his beer, took a drink, and grimaced as she swallowed. "Every time I try it I think it's going to get better," she said, handing Draco back his bottle. "Oh my god!" she suddenly shrieked, catching James in her line of sight. "Oh my god! James! You're here! You're home! Oh my god!"

"Oh my god!" James mimicked, laughing as he opened his arms, hopping off of the stool to give his favorite aunt/mother-in-law a hug. "Is my wife still upstairs?"

She nodded, kissing his cheek before letting go. "She's with Claire, or well, she's waiting in Claire's room while Claire takes a shower. Actually, this may be good that you're here."

"Why?" Draco asked with a warning tone. "What's happening?"

Hermione sighed. "Don't…be you, ok?" she asked. "Your daughter is scared and upset and mortified and you flying off the deep end will not in any way, shape, or form make it better." She waited for him to comply with her demand, accepting his reluctant head nod before continuing. "This thing…it's a little bit more complicated. I don't think he meant to, but I'm pretty certain when Dexter grabbed her, he fractured her wrist. It's swollen and like Albus said - there's a good hand print bruise there as well."

Draco's nostrils flared. "And I'm not supposed to be me about this because…"

"Because it's what's best for Claire," Hermione firmly replied. "Now, we need to handle this without it being public, because that's the only way we're getting her to St. Mungo's to have it checked out. I don't just want her to swallow some Skele-gro and hope it fixes the problem." She looked over at Harry and sighed. I know Terry's an Auror but I just - I can't let this go. I'm not saying I want the kid arrested -"

"He can't go back to school with Claire," James interjected. "Absolutely not."

"I agree," Draco added. "I _refuse_ to allow Claire to return if he's there."

Harry nodded in agreement. "I'll take care of it. See if I can't make a seamless transfer happen for him to go somewhere else."

"I'll go with you if you want, Dad," James offered.

"Your wife has been patiently awaiting your arrival and doesn't even know you're here yet," Harry said with a laugh. "You aren't going anywhere."

"But Hermione said it's good that I'm here," James said.

Hermione gave him a halfhearted smile. "That's to help keep Draco under control. And to take an official statement from Claire."

"Hey!" Draco shouted. "Other than that bloody coffee mug, I'd like to think that I'm being really _fucking_ good right now, considering everything."

"Absolutely," Hermione agreed, walking over to him, snaking her arms around his waist. She gave him a hug; her face pressed into his chest and sighed. She felt him wrap her arms around the back of her neck, hugging her close as he sighed as well. She looked back over at James. "You should go upstairs."

"You sure it's ok?" he asked.

"Definitely," Hermione replied.

* * *

><p>Anya sat on Claire's bed, looking around her room, trying to keep herself from crying about what happened to her sister. She felt awful for her sister - awful that she had to go through something like that - while knowing how Claire felt about finding someone. Claire's always wanted the fairytale. She wanted the story where the boy meets the girl, the two grow up, realize they love each other, with marriage and babies soon to follow. She wanted Anya's story. She'd told her over and over again. <em>I wish I could be as lucky as you<em>, her sister often said.

She spotted pretend Claire sitting on a bookcase next to her closet and smiled. _Claire carried that damn doll everywhere_, Anya thought to herself as she laughed quietly. She used her belly as an armrest, her nails lightly scratching the fabric stretched over her bump. She felt like her skin constantly itched now that it was stretching to accommodate her growing boy. There wasn't a spell or a cream she'd found yet to make the itching completely disappear.

Anya felt Jamie kick her once, twice, and again, making a face as she pressed a hand into her side where his foot was. "Is that necessary?" she asked. "I mean honestly - I get that it's a bit cramped in there - but kicking me isn't going to make it better."

"Are you scolding your womb?"

Anya nearly gave herself whiplash, snapping her neck around to the sound of the one voice she'd been waiting to hear. "James!" she gasped, a hand clapping over her heart, her eyes immediately drawn to his cast. "You're here! But what happened to your arm?"

He ruefully laughed, walking to his wife until he was right in front of her. "I'd like to tell you that I broke it while capturing those smugglers, but I didn't. We took a port key back to London, we arrived in our designated alley, and I took one step, slid on ice, and promptly found myself in the Ministry infirmary. My team finds it rather hysterical." He held his hands out to her and helped pull her up off of the bed, barely wincing with his injured arm. "The cast is just there until I'm done with my Skele-gro," he informed her, moving his hands to her stomach. "Look at you," he mumbled, his hands rubbing circles on the sides of her baby belly. "God I missed you."

Anya put her hands on his cheeks, his scruffy face in need of a shave, and pulled him close enough for her lips to catch his. She kissed her husband hard, moving her hands so her arms could reach around his neck as he kissed her back, just as hard, just as passionately. "You are never…ever leaving me…that long ever again," she mumbled in between kisses. "Ever."

He laughed; shaking his head as he moved his hands that had somehow found themselves weaved into her hair back to her stomach. "I don't make promises like that," he warned her, knowing his job could very well make him leave again, just not in the near future. He squatted down, pressing a kiss to her popped out belly button, and sighed. "Hey buddy," he said quietly. "Daddy missed you. Were you good for Mummy?"

"All day long this child kicks," Anya stated. "All. Day. Long. It's never ending. I don't think there's a quidditch player in here. I think there's a football player in here, so you better swap your broom out for a black and white ball and some bloody goal posts."

James laughed, pressing another kiss to her belly button. "We'll sort him out," he said. He looked up at her and smirked.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," James replied. "Just you."

"What about me?"

He stood back up and kissed her again. "Everything. You're just beautiful."

"I can't bend over for fear of my stomach - with the help of gravity - pulling me to the ground. I'm ginormous."

"You're beautiful," he sincerely repeated. "I'm sorry I was gone for so long."

Anya shrugged, turning sideways slightly so she could lean into him, closing her eyes as he hugged his arms around her. "It is what it is. I'm just glad you're back."

"Anya!" Claire called out from the bathroom.

"I'm still here!" Anya called out. "I'll be right back," she said to James.

"That's fine," James replied. "Hermione asked me to take a formal statement from Claire. She can either tell me or let me use her memory. It's up to her."

Nodding, Anya walked over to her sister's dresser and pulled out some comfy clothes and some clean undergarments to take to Claire. She walked into the bathroom and handed her sister the pair of sweats and the long sleeve thermal she retrieved from her drawers. "James is here," Anya replied, as her sister. "He just got home."

Claire's eyes brightened up. "Really? He's here?"

"Yes - hence me bringing you clothes," Anya replied with a laugh. "I don't fancy my husband seeing you naked."

"Ew. Me neither," Claire replied, snatching the bra and underwear from the clothing pile. She shimmied into her underwear with one hand, but Anya had to help her slip the sports bra on, as her wrist was starting to hurt more than it did earlier that morning. "Your boobs are almost as big as mine," Claire commented, looking at her sister through the bathroom mirror as it began to defog.

Anya nodded, looking at them as they appeared to be proportional to her growing belly. "They are, aren't they?"

"Maybe you'll get lucky and they'll stick around," Claire teased.

"Oh…they could shrink just a little bit," Anya replied with a laugh. "My ballet friends, theirs all went away, but then again, they didn't breast feed either."

"Are you going to?"

"Depends on how bad it hurts," Anya replied. "Ginny taught me an expelling charm to use instead of a muggle pump if I choose to use a bottle. She said that she had to pump and use a bottle because she couldn't stand it."

"Hermione breastfed Leo and Katie forever, didn't she?"

"She did it for a year for each of them," Anya replied. "Maybe a little bit longer with Katie, because she was such a preemie, but you know Hermione. Once she puts her mind to doing something…she does it."

Claire pulled up her sweats with one hand, then stood still and moved her sore wrist as little as possible while Anya helped her into her shirt. "I kind of feel better," she admitted. "Telling you and Mum what happened helped."

"I'm glad," Anya replied. "Hermione asked James to take your statement, by the way. I don't know what's going to happen, but I know Hermione and Dad won't do anything to draw any attention to anything. You can tell James what happened…or you can let him take a copy of your memory."

Claire scrunched her nose, then bit her lip. "I don't want to tell James…but he can take my memory. He just can't show Dad."

"He won't," Anya replied. "We already have enough family in Azkaban. Showing him would only add to the head count."

She giggled slightly, only to have her face fall again as her wet curls hung limply around her face. "You don't think he was right, do you?" Claire quietly asked. "When Dexter said that I was asking for it?"

"Absolutely not!" Anya hissed. "No woman asks for that, Claire. And for a man to say that to a woman makes him less of a man. It makes him a _coward_, and gives him a weak justification for his actions. You were in a dress at a school dance; with a boy you thought liked you. You weren't asking for it. Don't you believe that shit for a second - do you understand me?"

Claire nodded, sniffling. "Ok."

Anya carefully took her sister's sore arm and pulled the sleeve of her shirt up gently to look at her wrist again. "I really think you should let Mum and Dad take you to St. Mungo's."

She nodded. "I am - it hurts like a bitch."

"Well, if you get a cast, you and James can match. He broke his wrist slipping on ice after his team came back via port key."

"What a klutz," Claire said with a giggle.

"No shit," Anya agreed with a laugh of her own. "Come on now - the sooner we get this over with the sooner we can be done with it."

* * *

><p>"When do you think they'll be back from St. Mungo's?"<p>

"Soon."

Anya smiled as she looked down at James, who had her shirt pulled up to expose her entire belly as the two of them lay on her bed. His hands had been gently caressing her stretched stomach for the better part of an hour, peppering it with intermittent kisses along the way. She weaved one of her hands through his thick black hair, her nails lightly scraping against his scalp as she itched her way down to the nape of his neck, which she knew he liked. "Put your hand right here," she said, pointing to a spot high on her belly towards the right side. James did as she said, and in a few seconds, earned himself a strong kick as she winced through a smile.

James' eyes went wide for a moment. Anya wasn't kidding when she said he had a good kick. "Hey," he whispered, putting his mouth close to his belly. "You shouldn't kick your mummy so hard." He rubbed a hand over the offending spot on her bare belly as Anya sighed. "I just can't believe…I mean…he'll be here in a month."

Nodding, Anya closed her eyes and felt James move back up towards the head of her bed, carefully pulling her shirt down over her stomach along the way. He snuggled up close to her, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he hugged himself close to her. "I missed you. Terribly."

"Right back at you," Anya replied softly with a sigh, turning to kiss his head.

James moved his face to look up at her. "You know your sister's going to be fine."

"Oh I know," Anya replied. "I just…she has a very, well, I don't know. I think I've set her up for disappointment when it comes to men and relationships."

"You?"

Anya laughed lightly. "Yes. Me. After all - it just kind of happened for us, you know? Nothing about us was, or is hard, you know?"

James nodded. "I mean, the two and a half years I was treated like a pariah at Hogwarts sucked…"

Anya stuck her tongue out at him. "I was eleven."

"Just saying…it hurt my feelings."

"Just saying…couldn't have cut that deep if you decided to marry me."

"You've got me there," James replied with a smirk. "It has been pretty easy for us though. You're right."

Anya nodded. "I wish Claire knew how special she was…and that it's going to take someone equally as special to be with her."

James agreed, rolling over to his back and opened his arms up as Anya took her turn snuggling up against him as best as she could in her present condition. "I reckon she'll stay away from boys for a bit after this, though."

"Hermione says she's really thinking about Muggle University," Anya commented as James grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together. "I can see her meeting someone there."

James laughed. "The potential for a Malfoy to marry a muggle…I mean…generations of your ancestors would probably come back to life just to die again."

"It'd definitely make things interesting," Anya agreed with a laugh.

The two of them stayed together, enjoying the silence that was just the two of them. James summoned a blanket from the end of the bed, draping it over Anya as she stifled a yawn. The two of them were half asleep when they heard the rumblings of what sounded like the return of her sister with Draco and Hermione, but neither had any desire to move. They stayed together, Anya succumbing to sleep first, her snoring light as her head rested against her husband's chest. James cracked an eye open as he heard her the door to her childhood bedroom creak.

"Shh," Hermione said, waiving a hand at him. "I'm just shutting the door."

"Is Claire ok?" James whispered.

Hermione nodded. "She's fine. Go back to sleep. I'll make sure there's some dinner put away for you two."

"Draco knows you're shutting the door, right?" he tiredly joked.

"You married her and knocked her up - how much more trouble can you get into?" Hermione teased back.

"Fair point."

"Go to sleep," she told him again. "She hasn't slept well since you left." Before he could argue, Hermione carefully latched the door shut and quietly walked away. It had been a long and overwhelming day, but things were finally settling down in the house.

As she walked down the staircase and through the foyer, she smiled at the sight before her in the living room. Draco, Claire, Scorpius, Leo, and Katie were sitting around the coffee table with an old muggle board game of hers - Monopoly - in the middle of them. Katie was sitting on Draco's lap, passing out the money at her father's instruction. Katie was always on Draco's team, even if Hermione was playing. _It wouldn't be fair if we were both on the same team_, Katie rationalized to Hermione once as they played it this past summer. _We're too smart to be on the same team_.

"Mum!" Leo shouted, spotting her first as he fervently waved his hand to her. "Mum come over here! You can be on my team!"

"What!" Scorpius shouted. "No - she's going to be on my team if she plays!"

"But I'm younger!" Leo shouted back.

"Mum always wins - so I want her on my team," Scorpius defiantly stated.

Hermione laughed as she wandered over to the middle of the living room. She looked over at Draco, who shrugged with a laugh. "Seeing how you both want me on your team," Hermione replied. "How about I help you both."

Scorpius shook his head no, as did Leo. "You have to pick one, Mummy," Leo said.

"Scorp - why don't you just be on my team," Claire said, nudging him with the elbow of her arm that was now sporting a splint she was instructed to wear for the remainder of the holiday break.

Her brother thought about this for a moment, and remembered that she was a poacher for all things utilities and railroads, and when Hermione wasn't playing she was often the winner. "Fine," Scorpius said, handing his pile of money back to his dad to put in the 'bank'. "We're totally going to win."

"Totally," Claire agreed. "We make a pretty good team, after all."

Scorpius looked at his sister, smirking as he saw her mouth the word _thanks_. "The best team," he replied, before turning his attention back to his family with his Malfoy smirk. "Prepare yourselves - because you're all going down."


	34. Chapter 34

_**I wrote this over the weekend, and when I got to a stopping point, I was like..."well, that was 10,000 words that didn't really go anywhere." But I didn't hate it, either, so I figured what the hell - I'll publish it, and have it be kind of a wrap up for the previous chapter. It's things like this that make me wish my writer OCD was totally ok with just leaping forward to big events and saying the hell to the middle LOL!**_

_**So while it's filler...straight up and nothing more...I hope it tides you over until next time.  
><strong>_

* * *

><p>"Bloody hell…that's a lot of stuff!"<p>

Anya laughed at her husband as he poked his head into the now finished nursery. The walls were a pale yellow - a neutral color the two finally managed to agree upon after hours of fighting over the various swatches that had been painted on the walls early on in her pregnancy. They agreed on a zoo theme for the nursery, which Anya was a little unsure of at first, but when they found the crib bedding with the baby animals on it, she thought it was too adorable to pass up on. James, of course, took it upon himself to find his son a soft, stuffed lion which he knew his wife couldn't argue about because lions are always the main attraction at the zoo.

The fact that the lion also happened the Gryffindor mascot was obviously, completely coincidental.

Anya couldn't help but laugh when James explained it. She could care less that there was a stuffed lion in the crib. Just because she was a Slytherin didn't mean she loved snakes. As the long as the room didn't wind up being red and gold, she was fine.

There was a laundry basket full of baby clothes on top of the changing table that Anya was currently organizing and putting away in the closet. She smiled as she felt James approach her from behind, gently squeezing her shoulders. "People have been sending gifts since the _Prophet_ announced I was pregnant, right after you left," she explained. "And then our parents started buying things…and then my dance friends sent over things…and yes. You're right. This is a lot of stuff."

James laughed. "It's a good thing we didn't have a baby shower."

"There are gifts here from people that I don't even know," Anya continued. "But because of your dad, they sent stuff. That large giraffe over there - that came from the French Minister of Magic. His wife also sent some really lovely sleepers." She then turned slightly and pointed to the oversized plush chair with matching ottoman, covered in a light sage green corduroy fabric with a darker sage piping. "That came from Kingsley. Have you sat down in it yet? You'll never want to get up if you do."

She hung up some more clothes in the closet, organizing them by size as James took her up on the chair suggestion. He walked over to the new piece of furniture, plopped down onto the cushion, and ran his hands over the arms while he propped his feet up. "This is nice," he said. "And it rocks!"

"It has one of those glider mechanisms under it," Anya said. "I sat down in it the other day while Hermione and your mum were finishing up the nursery and fell asleep in it. It's going to be nice when the baby wakes up in the night."

"We should just move this into the living room," James said. "Put it right in front of the telly so Jamie and I can watch football together."

Anya laughed. "There's already a recliner out there for that purpose."

"Yes…but this is way more comfortable."

"Then we'll get a new recliner," Anya replied with another chuckle. "I've been thinking about new furniture, anyway. Most of this stuff was here from Hermione, anyway, at least what's in the kitchen and the living room."

James nodded, still content on sitting and not moving from the chair. "We could always look if you're up to it. Dad always says some of the best Muggle sales are after Christmas and around New Year's."

They went to her OB healer at St. Mungo's earlier that morning as she was now on a two week schedule, popping over for a checkup every other Thursday. The bed rest ban was officially lifted much to her delight, and James was able to hear the heartbeat and see the baby with a wizarding version of a sonogram - a complicated charm cast by the healer that showed a projection of what one would see on a Muggle sonogram, but the image hovered right over her abdomen instead of on a computer screen. They took several measurements and decided that they may have overestimated Anya's due date, as they were now predicting that her baby was almost eight pounds. When the Healer wrapped things up and said that if she went into labor between now and January 25th, they wouldn't do anything to stop it, Anya decided that things needed to get put away and organized immediately. Of course, much to James' chagrin, the sex ban was still in place. Just because the healers wouldn't stop Anya if she went into labor right now didn't mean her healer wanted her to test the theory. Once her appointment was over, they walked upstairs to have his cast removed and his arm checked to make sure the Skele-gro mended his bones completely, and they were on their way home.

Today was the first day the two of them had spent any sort of significant time together at their flat since he left for his mission. They decided that they would stay at the mansion until Claire and Scorpius headed back to Hogwarts, mostly because Claire didn't want Anya to leave. So while the others were out catching up on last minute Christmas shopping before Christmas rolled around tomorrow, Anya and James were perfectly content with each other, organizing the baby's room.

"Our mums and grandmothers did a nice job in here," James commented after a few minutes. "You can definitely tell Hermione put everything away in the changing table.

"Hermione swears we'll be able to find things half asleep," Anya replied. "This sounded good to me. They didn't let me do much but watch, though. That was the rule."

"I kind of wished I'd have been able to put the furniture together," James wistfully confessed. "I was actually looking forward to it."

"Yes, well, if you want, you can pensive my memory about it because watching your father, my father, Arthur, and Grandpa Richard putting these things together was nothing short of priceless. I have never heard so much swearing in all my life." Anya emptied the rest of the clothes from the basket into their assigned drawers in the closet and put the basket down on the ground. "At one point, I thought Dad and Harry were going to just set a fiendfyre on the entire room, they were so angry. Of course, had they not had the side of the crib upside down for twenty minutes, their rage may not have been so high," Anya commented with a wry laugh. "I had never laughed so hard in my life." She gave the room a once over, and felt relieved that everything seemed to be done. Nappies and wipes were stocked to the brim, all of the baby clothes had been washed and put away, and his toys had been released from their packaging and put away in a toy box, which had been magically expanded on the inside thanks to Hermione. She walked over to James and sat down next to him in the chair, which was conveniently wide enough to fit the two of them, albeit a bit snugly.

James moved his arm and draped it around her shoulder as she kicked up her legs, bending them at the knees as she crossed them over his. Leaning into him, she sighed as he kissed her forehead. "We could literally have a baby any day now," he mumbled.

"Frightening, isn't it?" she cheeked, her arm perched on top of her stomach.

"Nah," he replied, hugging her with his arm. "We're going to be fine."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Do you know what I love the most about you?"

James grinned and shrugged. "The options are pretty limitless."

Anya lightly smacked a hand into his chest. "Aside from you being the world's biggest smart ass…I love that you're unflappable."

He kissed her forehead again. "Well, considering you'll always worry enough for the both of us, I feel pretty confident in believing that at the end of the day; everything will always find a way to work out."

She sighed, her head resting against his chest. "Do you think I'll be a good mother?"

"I think you're going to be a brilliant mother," James whispered in her ear.

"And if I turn out like her?"

"Just because you look like her doesn't mean you act like her," James reassured his wife. "Remember when Katie was born, and we stayed at your parents' house to help with your siblings while your parents stayed at the hospital?" She silently nodded as James reached his other and placed it over to the hand she had splayed against her bump. I didn't really know how you felt about children then…we were still dating and we hadn't really talked about anything but marriage but I remember watching you those weeks, and any concern I thought I had went right out the window. You were brilliant with them, especially your brothers - Leo particularly. He was so upset Hermione wasn't around, but you held him and reassured him and I just…I don't know, Anya. You have the maternal instinct. I've seen it. You're going to be amazing."

She didn't even bother brushing away the tear that slid down her cheek. "That's the other thing I love the most about you," Anya confessed. "You always make me feel better."

James grinned at his wife, reaching up to tuck her hair back behind her ear. "Sounds like you got pretty lucky in the husband department, Mrs. Potter."

"I did," Anya agreed with a laugh. "I most certainly did."

"You want to know a secret?"

Anya smirked. "Always."

His nose nuzzled against hers. "Aside from the fact that I've been in love with you for the majority of my life, if someone would have told me how _incredibly_ sexy you look pregnant…I would have knocked you up years ago." His lips found their way to hers, kissing her softly, then deeply as her arms wrapped up around his neck. "I hope you enjoyed being pregnant, because I plan to keep you this way for a while," he teased as his lips moved to her jaw, then up by her ear.

Aside from the bed rest, being pregnant wasn't all that horrible for Anya. She liked it more than she thought she would, and she fully intended on giving Jamie siblings. "Let's get through Jamie's first year," she mumbled, her fingers weaving through his hair. "And then we can work on giving him a sibling."

James pulled away from Anya from a moment and stared at her. "Really? You mean it?"

"I love Katie. Love her. Couldn't imagine my life without her," Anya said. "Same with Leo and Scorp. I know how Scorp came about and while it was unavoidable really, for Dad and Hermione, I want our children to be close in age."

"How many do you want?" he asked. "Do you know?"

"No more than four," Anya replied. "Think you can handle that?"

"Four might be my new favorite number," James replied.

Stifling a yawn, Anya curled back up next to James. "Do you care if we just stay here until we have to go to dinner tonight?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," James replied. He carefully pried himself out of the chair and turned around, holding his hands out to Anya, which she took as he helped pull her upright. "Since I'm still banned from having sex with you on Healer Williams' orders, how about we go and take a bath together…and then we can take nap, and be fully rested for tonight's holiday festivities."

Anya hummed, nodding as she braced her hands on her back. "Maybe a massage too?"

"Your wish is my command, Mrs. Potter."

"Isn't it always?" she teased, walking past him.

He followed her out of the nursery and laughed. "You're so lucky I love you."

"Please. You're so lucky I love you back," Anya replied with a smirk.

* * *

><p>"Ooh…look at this one! Claire! It has all of Mummy's favorite colors on it!"<p>

Claire looked over at the brightly colored scarf Katie was holding up in the store, Katie's face looking quite proud that her scavenging had found something that she believed to be brilliant. Claire of course, thought the scarf hideous, and knew it was nowhere near Hermione's wheelhouse of things she would ever wear. However, both her father and Hermione were adamant about letting Katie pick out her own gifts for people this Christmas, and knowing that atrocious scarf came from Katie might be enough for Hermione to wear it, even if it was only on the days where she wouldn't be seen in public.

Albus and Lily were out with Claire and Katie, their assigned chaperone for the day as her father was with Leo and Hermione had Scorpius. Claire was rather insistent that she and Katie would be fine by themselves, but her father wasn't hearing any of it. "Lily, look!" Katie shouted, catching Lily's attention away from the jewelry section of the Muggle department store. "Don't you think my mummy will _love_ this?"

Lily kept a neutral face, but she looked over at Claire and realized they were on the same train of thought. "I think your mummy will love whatever you get her," Lily replied.

That was all Katie needed. "I want to get this then."

"Alright," Claire replied, unhooking the scarf from the rack and putting it in her shopping basket. "Who else is on your list?"

Katie tapped a finger to her chin and hummed. "I gots to get something for Daddy, James, Jamie, and YaYa. I gots all of my other presents the other day with Mummy. We might got to go to Diagon Alley to find Daddy a present though." She looked around for a moment, then back at Claire and Lily. "Where's Albus?"

Lily nodded back towards the electronics section of the store. "Probably looking at some gigantic telly or something. Let's go find him." She reached her hand out to Katie, who happily took it as the three girls meandered their way through the store. She looked over at Claire, noticing her tugging her jacket sleeve down to keep her splint covered. "It's hardly noticeable, you know."

"I know," Claire said. "I just hate wearing it."

"Why do you have to wear it for so long?"

"Because of the way the bone fractured," she replied. "The bone is fixed, but it's still sore, and the healer said if I didn't wear the splint, and then pushed on my hand the wrong way, I could break it again."

Lily made a face. "Dad said he got Dexter a transfer to Durmstrang. Serves him right, you know."

Claire shrugged. "I shouldn't feel bad…you know…but I do. He has to spend his last semester of school away from his friends."

"Well if you ask me, he should have thought about that before he did what he did," Lily adamantly replied as they rounded the corner. About ten feet away, a familiar man stood facing a wall of flat screen televisions. "See," she said, pointing her brother out to Katie. "What did I tell you? He's a sucker for Muggle electronics."

Katie let go of Lily's hand and skipped down the aisle, running the last two feet which caught Albus' attention. He turned around just in time to greet her, snatching her up off the ground and setting her right on his hip. "Do you think I need one of these for my new flat?" he asked, pointing to the menagerie of televisions in front of them.

Nodding, Katie watched as all of them played the same department store commercial over and over again. "You should do research so you pick the best one," she said. "That's what Mummy always says, so you can get the bestest one. You should probably get a bookcase too."

"A bookcase?" Albus asked, somewhat confused. "Why on earth would I need a bookcase?"

Katie looked at him quite appallingly. "For your books!" she cried. "Where else would you put them?"

Laughing, Albus switched Katie over to his other hip and sighed. "I don't really own a lot of books, Katie."

She was confused by this statement. "But…if you don't gots lots of books…what do you do when you don't gots anything to do?"

Albus pointed to the televisions. "I watch sports."

"So you don't read at _all_?"

Claire and Lily laughed at Katie's accusation as they approached the pair. "Albus doesn't read anything that isn't in a magazine," Lily offered. "Not everyone enjoys reading, you know."

Clearly horrified at the thought that people could actually not like reading, Katie frowned. "You should read books, Albus. Mummy says we should always read books, even when we are done with school. It's how we keep learn stuff."

Claire reached out and gave Katie's braided ponytail a tug. "I'm sure Albus reads books all the time about dragons - it's how he knows so much about them. And he's going to be teaching us at Hogwarts about magical creatures of all kinds, so I'm sure he reads books about them too."

"I do, actually," Albus said, now that he got to thinking about it.

"Wait a second," Lily interrupted. "If you're taking over for Hagrid, how are you even going to get a telly to work in that hut?"

Albus laughed. "Hagrid is retiring - not moving. I bought a flat in London the other day, and Dad's going to connect my fireplace to Hogwarts. There's no way I'm living there again. I need to be somewhere that allows working electronics." He put Katie down on the ground, and then squatted down to her eye level. "How about we go over and look for a _small_ bookcase, and we'll have it delivered to my flat. I should probably have something to put my school books on."

Her eyes bright with delight, Katie clapped her hands together in victory. "Yes!"

Had they let her, Katie could have stood in the furniture aisle of the department store for hours looking at the various bookcases. She dragged Lily by the hand as the two of them inspected each one of them. Claire and Albus stood on the other end of the aisle, Albus more interested in television stands than he was a bookcase. "What's with this, by the way?" he asked, motioning to her outfit with his hand. She was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a hooded sweatshirt underneath her coat. "You look like you're trying to be invisible or something."

She shrugged. "I don't know…I just woke up and put this on."

"I don't think I've ever seen you wear a hooded sweatshirt," Albus said. "Hell, I didn't know you owned one."

"I don't," Claire replied with disdain. She would never willingly own this particular article of clothing. "This is one of Scorp's. I just made it bigger."

Albus furrowed his brow. "But why?"

"Because I felt like it!" Claire hissed. "Since when do you care what I wear for Merlin's sake?"

"Hey!" Albus exclaimed under his breath. "Don't yell at me - I was just asking a question. You're usually all dolled up with your face on and your hair done and today you aren't, so I asked. That's it. Jesus Christ."

Her shoulders dropped, her attention turning to a random piece of furniture in the aisle. It was supposed to be a television stand, but it was made out of glass and black metal, looking to be some kind of modern piece but really it was just ugly. "I didn't mean to snap at you," she finally said after a few moments. "I just…I just didn't feel like drawing attention to myself."

Albus laughed as he checked the price tag on one of the television stands. "I hate to tell you this, Claire, but you're always going to draw attention to yourself."

Snapping her hands to her hips, Claire glared at him. "Excuse me? Just what is that supposed to mean?"

He looked right at her and motioned towards her from her head to her toes. "Just because you're standing there, dressed down with a bare face doesn't mean people won't notice you. You could wear a potato sack and still be the prettiest girl in the room."

Claire stared at Albus, completely stunned. She tried to think of something to say, but came up with nothing.

"Albus! Albus come look!" Katie shouted.

Albus gave Claire a smile and a shrug and walked past her. "You beckoned, Katie?"

Katie pointed up to a piece of furniture. "Look! It's perfect!" she exclaimed. You can put books in this that bottom part and then it gots that stick thing sticking out to stick your new telly on! So all your favorite things can be in the same place!"

He threw his hands up in feigned shock and grinned, while his sister laughed. "I mean, when you put it that way, I don't even know how to say no."

"Because you can't!" Katie cried with joy. "Because it's perfect!"

"It kind of is," Lily agreed. "And it's black, so it'll match anything."

"So are you going to get it?" Katie asked. "Are you?"

"Sure," Albus said with a laugh. "Why not. Let's go find a sales clerk to help us and we can head over to Diagon Alley." He looked over his shoulder and motioned for Claire with a bob of his head. "You coming?"

Claire nodded once, then twice, and figured out quickly how to make her feet move, as her shopping crew was walking away without her.

* * *

><p>Draco and Leo meandered down the streets of Diagon Alley, each of them with a bag of roasted chestnuts keeping their ungloved hands warm. Their day had been rather productive, their last minute presents picked up and tucked away inside Draco's undetectable extended coat pocket. Draco motioned for his son to veer left with the nudge of his arm against his, and the two crossed the cobblestoned street into the small jewelry shop. Inside sat an elderly man behind his u-shaped display cases.<p>

"Mr. Gaither," Draco said with a nod.

Mr. Gaither returned the nod, smiling at Leo as he stood up. "I've been expecting you, Mr. Malfoy."

"This is my youngest son, Leo," Draco said, introducing the two. "Leo, Mr. Gaither is one of the oldest wizarding jewelers in the world. He makes impeccable pieces."

Leo gave the older man a wave. "Hello."

"Mr. Malfoy," Mr. Gaither greeted him before turning his attention back to Draco. "Let me go retrieve your items. I shall return in a few moments."

Leo looked around at all of the various trinkets inside the glass cases. "Did you get Mummy something from here for Christmas?"

Draco nodded, as he moved over to the case Leo was looking into. "I got her a set of pearl earrings and a matching necklace." He pointed to the exact set he purchased for Hermione. "They look like that."

"Wow…" Leo said. "Those are fancy. Where will Mum wear them?"

"Ministry galas, the wedding, parties," Draco rattled off. "We do manage to get away from you children every now and then, you know."

He laughed at his dad as he dug his hand into his chestnut bag, popping a few nuts in his mouth. "Did you get anything else?"

Draco nodded. "I got Claire and Katie necklaces and a charm bracelet for Anya."

Mr. Gaither returned with five boxes, each of them gift wrapped, and placed them in a paper bag. Draco wrote down his Gringotts number and magically sealed the authorization form for payment and exchanged the payment for his purchases. "With the help of some old Goblin magic, I was able to do what you asked with your three pieces for your daughters."

"Thank you," Draco sincerely replied with a smile. "Have a Happy Christmas."

"The same to you."

Draco led his son out of the shop and tucked his purchases away in his coat. "Are you ready to head home?" he asked.

Leo nodded. "I had all of my Christmas shopping done weeks ago, Dad."

"That's because you're just like your mother," he replied with a laugh. "Come on, we'll walk over to the Ministry and floo home from there. I have to check on some messages since I've been out of work this week."

The walk over to the Ministry entrance wasn't too far, much to both of their delights as the winter wind was what could only describe as biting. Walking inside the old red phone booth, Draco gave Leo the numbers to dial, and swallowed his amusement at his son's face as they slowly began to descend. Walking through the atrium of the Ministry, Leo looked around in awe, his face reading as if it was the first time he'd ever seen the place, despite having been inside numerous times. Inside the atrium was a black granite fountain, with names engraved around the top. A brass plaque was mounted to the front of fountain, with the phrase _Second Wizarding War Memorial Fountain: To Reflect on Those We Lost, Fighting for what was Right. _Underneath the large lettering was a small phrase engraved in italics. _We also remember those who stayed with us through the very end, as there is no such thing as an unwounded soldier in war._

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

Leo was staring down at the fountain, his fingertips brushing over the names engraved of wizards who died. "Do you think they will ever be another war?"

Draco looked down at the fountain, standing behind his son. The name _Charity Burbage_ was etched right next to _Albus Dumbledore_ and _Dobby - a Free Elf,_ all three names staring him in the face. "I doubt it," he honestly replied. "We've all worked really hard to prevent something like that from happening since the end of that war."

"But it could happen, right? If enough people decided they didn't like Muggle witches and wizards again?"

"I guess…but our community is much stronger than it used to be. Most people who thought that wizards should only be those with pureblood no longer exist, and those that believe in that nonsense are too cowardly to come out and show their faces," Draco explained. "Come on, let's hop the lift over to my office."

It was relatively quiet at the Ministry, being Christmas Eve and all, and Draco rather liked being at work during holiday times such as this. He wrapped an arm around Leo and used his free hand to hold on to the lift strap as the accordion metal gate closed, suddenly whisking them away down to the lower level, where the offices for the Minister of Magic and his support staff were located. They walked down a long hallway until they reached Draco's office, his wand touching the tip of doorknob granting him access inside.

Leo sat down in one of his dad's visiting chairs in front of his desk while Draco sat on the other side in his tall leather chair, unbuttoning his coat as he began to review his messages. While he busied himself in his work, Leo looked around the room, the walls covered with either books stacked inside the embedded bookcases, photos, or pictures drawn by all five of them, with dates written in the corner of all them in his mother's handwriting. He saw a picture of him on one of the bookcase shelves, smiling widely as he was flying on his first training broom a few years ago. He hoped to get a real broom this year, though he wasn't sure if his mother would say yes or not. Scorpius got a real broom though at ten, so that's what he was currently hanging his hopes on for tomorrow morning.

"Dad?"

"Yes Leo?"

Leo looked over at his father, who was scribbling down some notes on a piece of parchment. "Did you fall in love with Mummy at work?"

Draco smiled, putting down his quill as he leaned back in his chair. "As a matter of fact, I did."

Grinning, Leo moved so that he was sitting on the edge of his seat, his arms resting on the edge of Draco's desk. "Uncle Harry told me that once, the day the bad man attacked us in the alley. I was just making sure it was true."

"You think Uncle Harry would tell you a lie?"

"No…but I was scared that day, and I think Uncle Harry would tell me something to make me feel better," Leo thoughtfully replied. "But…sometimes I get confused…because both Uncle Harry and Mummy said that you two didn't like each other in school, but you fell in love at work, so…how come you changed your mind? How do you fall in love with someone you hate?"

Draco looked at his son, who seemed completely perplexed by the question he posed. If he didn't look identical to Scorpius and himself, he'd seriously consider questioning if any of his DNA ran through him, much like he teased Hermione when it came to Katie. "Honestly…I grew up and learned to think for myself. I used to believe that witches and wizards like your mum - those that were Muggle born - weren't special enough to be a part of our world. I was brought up to believe that they actually tainted it somehow, that they weren't worthy of having a wand, or learning magic. I thought this because it was what I was taught. But then the war happened…and things happened…and at the end of it, I realized I was on the wrong side of it. It was too late, of course, to switch, but when everything was over, and Uncle Harry defeated Voldemort, I worked very hard to prove to everyone that I wasn't like the rest of my family. Uncle Harry helped me with that when we started out as Aurors…and then over time, I became friends with your mum."

"Mummy says you two used to have offices right across the hall from each other."

"We did," Draco fondly remembered.

"When did you realize you loved Mummy?"

Draco laughed. "What's with all the questions today?"

Leo shrugged. "I don't know. I just like to know things."

Playfully, Draco rolled his eyes and leaned forward, matching his son's posture as he clasped his hands together, just like Leo. "I think I fell in love with your mother the day I realized how much she truly loved your older siblings," he confessed. "I liked your mother a lot though before that. I just couldn't do anything about it. But when Anya, Claire, and Scorp's real mum passed away because she was sick, your mother and I had been spending lot of time together and she just, well, she made all of us better after their mother died. She helped fix us. Maybe not Scorpius so much…he was too little to really know what was going on, and all he was interested in was that blasted orange fur ball your mother called a cat and your Grandpa Richard's old car. He started calling your mother 'mum' a few months after Astoria passed away though. I don't think he really knew how to differentiate the two. But your sisters were older, and understood more, and your mum helped them get through it."

"I remember Crookshanks!" Leo exclaimed. "I loved that cat!"

"Meh…it was alright," Draco acquiesced.

Leo giggled. "Mummy says you secretly liked Crookshanks."

"Mummy has no idea what she speaks about."

Leo threw his head back and cackled, which in turn made Draco laugh as well. Leo leaned back into the chair he was sitting in as his dad retrieved his quill, jotting down a few more notes down on his parchment.

A few moments later, Leo hopped up from the chair after a few moments, and walked over to the book case that had the picture frames. There was a picture of Anya and Claire and Scorpius, each in their own frame, on their first day of Hogwarts as they stood on the platform, each of them donning their generic Hogwarts robes that were soon transformed with the green and silver Slytherin crest upon their sorting. "Hey Dad?"

Done with his office chores for now, Draco stood up and began to button his coat. "Yes, Leo," he said, trying to fathom as to what this child could possibly ask him now.

"You don't think I'll be a Slytherin when I go to Hogwarts, do you?" Leo asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Draco walked over to Leo, giving him a sad sort of smile. He reached out, his hands resting on Leo's shoulders as he sighed. "You are noble, kind, always making sure things are right and fair, which takes a good amount of bravery…and, well, you're your mother's so.. You've got Gryffindor written all over you. Maybe Ravenclaw, but if I had to place a bet, my galleons are on you donning a whole lot of crimson and yellow in your future."

He felt his son's shoulders drop slightly. "But you said the Sorting Hat will take my choice into consideration. You said that's what Uncle Harry said to Albus."

"You're right, I did," Draco replied. "But you know something? Albus wanted to be a Gryffindor about as much as you want to be a Slytherin. He was terrified about becoming a Slytherin. His brother, mother, father, and entire family basically were Gryffindor's, and that's what he wanted to be too. So Uncle Harry told him if it meant that much to him, he could choose, and the hat would take it into consideration."

Leo scrunched up his nose for a moment, incredibly confused. "But…Albus…Albus was a Slytherin."

"He is," Draco replied with a grin.

"So the Sorting Hat didn't listen? How rude!"

"Not exactly," Draco replied, chuckling slightly. "Albus said he got up to the chair when his name was called, sat down on the chair, and when the hat was placed on his head, his gut told him that wherever the hat wanted him to go would be the best place for him. And just like Slytherin House was lucky to gain a student like Albus Potter, Gryffindor House should be so lucky to get someone as smart, loyal, caring and brave as Leo Malfoy."

Leo beamed at his father's litany of words. "You really mean it?"

"I really mean it," Draco sincerely replied. "And if it makes you feel better, I'd bet all the galleons in the world that Katie is a future Ravenclaw, so you won't be the only Malfoy to be sorted outside of Slytherin House."

"This is true…" Leo thoughtfully replied. "She is super smart. But she could be a Gryffindor. You never know. Mummy said she was almost sorted into Ravenclaw, but she had already decided after reading _Hogwarts: A History_ that Gryffindor House seemed by far the best."

Draco rolled his eyes and spun Leo around, leading him across the office towards his personal floo. "I'd say that I'm shocked that your mother would read about each house before deciding which one she liked best, but it would be a blatant lie." He pulled the jar of floo powder from the mantle and allowed Leo to grab a handful. "Hold onto it tight," he said as he put the jar back. Stepping inside the floo with Leo, he held onto his other hand and gave Leo instructions. "Now, say _Malfoy Mansion_ loud and clear before dropping the powder, ok?"

Nodding, Leo cleared his throat held out his arm. "Malfoy Mansion!" he shouted, releasing the floo powder as the two of them disappeared to their announced destination.

* * *

><p>"What about this one?"<p>

Scorpius looked over at the can of broom polish his mother was holding, and made a face as he shook his head. "That one smells like rubbish," he informed Hermione as he picked up a different can. The two had been inside Broomstix for nearly an hour, which was quite possibly the longest amount of time Hermione had ever been inside the store. She had a Nimbus 1000 to pick up for Leo, much to her chagrin, but the shopkeeper, Mr. Catchings, promised her it was a safe and sensible broom, the perfect broom for Leo to move onto from his current training broom.

"_It doesn't go nearly as fast as the brooms we sold your two children this past fall," he said with a reassuring smile._

_Hermione shrugged as he wrapped up the purchase for her and set it behind his counter for her to take once Scorpius was finished shopping. "No offense, Mr. Catchings, but when you're a mother, all brooms go much too fast when your child riding one.  
><em>

She watched Scorpius pop open a few different of the sample cans, shaking her head slightly at each face he made as he smelled it. "You know, sweetheart, I'm sure your dad has plenty of broom polish if you aren't finding what you're looking for."

Scorpius shook his head no. "He's almost out of the kind he likes," he said, standing on his tip toes to look towards the back of the shelf. "He let me use some when we came home the other day, after we played our game. We were talking in his study and he let me use some."

Nodding, Hermione picked up one of the cans and popped open the lid, grimacing as she got a whiff of the smell. "I don't even know how you can tell a difference," she said, promptly returning the lid.

"There's a huge difference!" he exclaimed. "You can't really tell in the can, but when you rub it into the grooves of your broom, and then you take it out for a fly…that's when you really notice. Dad says you should always keep your broom properly polished, and that it should be with something that gives you great comfort, which keeps you relaxed when you're hundreds of feet above the ground." He rummaged around for a moment, biting his tongue as he reached his arm way to the back and plucked an obscure can forward. "Ah ha!" he shouted. The canister was sealed - which was what he was looking for, but he found the open sample and handed it to Hermione. "Smell it."

"I think I'll pass."

"Just smell it," Scorpius insisted.

Hermione sighed, reaching for the sample can, her hand wrenching the lid off. She held it up to her nose and inhaled, prepared for it to smell awful, but instead…it was almost tolerable. She smelled again, trying to figure out was different, but couldn't.

"It's hard to notice," he said. "But when you put it on the broom, it's more noticeable. It has vanilla bean in it."

She smelled it again, and realized she could in fact, detect a hint of vanilla. It was barely there, underneath whatever else was mixed into make the polish that she was certain would make her nauseous before bringing any sort of comfort, but it was there. "It's certainly not as awful as the rest of them," she agreed. "If that's the one you want to get your father, then let's get it."

Scorpius nodded, putting the sample back and the sealed canister into his mother's basket. "Dad says he likes it because when he flies, he can smell the vanilla, and it reminds him of you."

Hermione smiled as she placed a hand on Scorp's back, ushering him through the store so they could pay for their things. "He can be sweet sometimes, your father."

Scorpius smirked as they reached the counter. "I'll take this please."

Mr. Catchings nodded, ringing up the polish. He put the purchase in a bag and handed it to Scorpius, then handed the nicely wrapped broom box up and gave it to Hermione. "That will be 1 galleon, four sickles, and three knuts."

Scorpius dug around in his pockets, pulling out the correct coins and handing them to Mr. Catchings. "Thank you, Sir," he said. "Happy Christmas!"

Mr. Catchings smiled at Scorpius, then gave Hermione a nod. "You should be proud of your children, Mrs. Malfoy. They've always been nothing but polite in my store."

Hermione beamed proudly as she shifted the box she was holding. "It's not Mrs. Malfoy yet," she corrected. "But thank you for the compliment."

"Mr. Malfoy should be proud too," Mr. Catchings added, handing Scorpius a peppermint with a wink. "Your husband is proof that people can change for the better. I saw him in here earlier today with your other son. He should come around more often."

Nodding, Hermione pocketed the candy wrapper that Scorpius handed to her and smiled. "I'll be sure to let him know," she replied. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas to you too."

The mother-son duo walked out of the shop and into the bitter cold air, Hermione tugging her scarf a little bit tighter with her free hand as Scorpius buried his hands into his pockets, his bag from Broomstix hanging on his wrist. Hermione smiled and gave polite nods to those that recognized her and said their hellos. Scorpius watched, noticing that most, if not all the people who passed, said a hello of some sorts. "Do you know everyone?" he incredulously asked as they walked into The Leaky Cauldron.

Hermione grinned as she gave a couple of waves to people she actually knew inside, Aberforth Dumbledore being one of those patrons as he sat at the bar with a glass in front of him. She quickly ushered Scorpius through the restaurant towards the Muggle London entrance and dug her keys out of her pocket. She hit the unlock button, and her SUV that was parked a few feet away from the door chirped, the back hatch popping open. Hermione loaded up the car with the bags she pulled out of her purse and carefully placed Leo's broom inside. Scorpius put his bag in the back as well before the two climbed into the front seats, buckling their seat belts to head home.

"Well?" Scorpius asked again as he pulled his knit hat from his head.

"Well what?" she asked with a laugh.

"Do you know everyone?"

Hermione shook her head no, her foot on the brake as she put her car into gear. Checking her mirrors, she pulled out onto the small narrow road and removed her gloves, placing them in the small cubby of her console. "People know me, or know of me I should say," she said. "And they say hello because I guess that's what people do when they recognize someone, but I don't know most of them. I usually wave at the ones I know, and nod at those I don't."

Scorpius kicked his shoes off and unbuckled his seatbelt briefly to peel his coat off, tossing it behind his seat. He buckled back up and pulled his shoeless feet up onto the seat and reclined the back slightly. Car rides always made him sleepy, therefore he always made sure to get himself comfortable to prepare for the inevitable. "Mum?"

"Yes?"

"Sometimes, I think people are nicer to me when I'm with you than when I'm with Dad. Like when we're in Diagon Alley and stuff."

Hermione nodded as they pulled up to a stoplight, her turn signal clicking. "I don't believe it's that people are nicer," she started to speak. "But your father doesn't exactly give off the most friendly disposition when he's in public. He doesn't like being in public if he doesn't have to be."

"Do you think people will ever forgive Dad for the things he did?"

Hermione reached a hand over and grabbed his, giving it a squeeze. "Those that matter have, and for those who have not…well they simply don't matter. At least not to us."

Scorpius nodded, squeezing Hermione's hand before she pulled it away. As they merged onto the highway leading out of the city, he dug around his mother's purse, looking for a piece of gum. "Could there be any more stuff in here?" he asked, his arm up to his elbow as he moved around in a blind search.

"Side pocket, dear," Hermione replied with a laugh.

"How would anyone even know there was a _side pocket_ in here?"

"Channeling your father today, are we?" Hermione teased. She reached a hand down into her purse, her eyes not leaving the road, and pulled out her pack of gum on the first try. "There," she said. "Pull me a piece out too."

He did as he was told, pulling out two pieces and giving one of them to his mother. He went to put the gum back in her purse but she stopped him.

"Just put it on top of my gloves," she said. "I want it put back where it goes."

Scorpius grinned, tossing the gum where she told him to and leaned back in his seat as he popped his gum into his mouth. Hermione shook her head slightly as she merged over into the faster lane, setting her cruise control and leaning back slightly. "So…" she heard Scorpius drawl out a few moment later. "Dad says that I should tell you that I know fighting is wrong, and that I'm sorry…_and_ that I should thank you…for you know, deciding not to ground me from now until the end of time."

Hermione suppressed a laugh, swallowing it hard as she stole a glance at Scorpius, who appeared more grateful for not being grounded than he did sorry for pummeling Dexter Boot. "Scorpius?"

"Yes?"

"_Are_ you sorry you hit Dexter?"

Scorpius could hardly contain his scoff. "I'm sorry I hit him in public."

"Honestly, Scorpius…"

"And I'm sorry I didn't hit him harder," Scorpius stated, popping a gum bubble with his tongue. "I know you don't like fighting and I know that what I did was wrong but I'm not sorry I hit him, Mum. I'm not sorry at all, and if you asked me if I would do it again I would. She's my sister and he said some really mean things about her and he was _laughing_ about it so I decided to shut him up…and I did."

Hermione nodded, her fingers drumming against the steering wheel. "Well, I guess I can appreciate your honesty."

Scorpius furrowed his brow. "You…you can?"

"I'm not condoning your actions, mind you."

"Of course you aren't."

"And the next time it happens, you will be grounded until graduation."

"Dad said you'd probably say that."

She glanced over at him, and reached a hand out to ruffle his short hair. "You're a good brother, Scorpius. And for that, I'm proud of you. However, I would much appreciate it if next time, you just went to find a Head Boy or Girl."

Scorpius sighed and nodded. "I will. Promise."

"Good," she said with a smile. She reached over and clicked on the radio, keeping the volume low as they continued their drive. It was a silent hour in the car, the lulled music the only noticeable noise in the air when Hermione took the exit and took a main street down a ways before reaching the country road that would lead them straight to the mansion.

Once turned onto the country road, Hermione heard Scorpius mumble. "We're almost home," she said.

He nodded, curled up in the front seat on his side, facing her. "Mummy?" he asked.

"Yes sweetheart."

Scorpius opened his eyes, rubbing them one at a time with a hand as he blinked a couple of times. "You know how next week, Anya and Claire get sad because it gets close to the anniversary of our mum's death?"

Hermione nodded.

"Well…sometimes I feel bad, because I don't get sad like they do," he confessed, looking down at the arm of the front seat as he picked at the leather piping around the seams. "All I know about her are the stories that you guys tell me, and the letters I get to open from her on birthdays, or when I start school."

"You were so little, Scorp," Hermione said. "You'd just turned two in November. No one expected you to remember much."

"I know that," Scorpius exasperatedly replied. "But I still feel like I should miss her. I want to miss her. I just…don't, and I don't know how. She just feels like a story character to me...like she's pretend…but I know she's not pretend."

"Well, and we've made her to be a story for you," Hermione replied. "One of the many things I promised your mother before she died was that I wouldn't let any of you forget her, and that your father and I would tell you stories about her so you would know her."

Scorpius sat up a little bit in the chair, scratching his head as he yawned. "Did you know my mum well?"

"We knew each other," Hermione said as the two of them as the mansion became visible in the distance. "She was a year younger than your father and I at Hogwarts, and our houses were pretty separated back then, but I got to know her when she had Anya and Aunt Ginny had James."

"Were you friends?"

Hermione chewed on the inside of her cheek as she thought about his question. "Well…I mean, I guess you could say we were friends. Towards the end, we spent a fair bit of time together."

"YaYa used to say that our mum knew that Dad liked you, and that you liked him, and that she asked you to take care of us because Dad never would have figured out how to tell you that he liked you. She also said that our mum had me because she wanted a boy and she thought it would fix everything…but I don't know what that means."

Hermione approached the driveway to the mansion, the tall wrought iron gates magically retracting as she pulled her wand from her purse and aimed it at the latch. "Your father is the first Malfoy in the history of all Malfoys to produce a daughter as a first born," she said. "Malfoy families, if you look back through the history, tend to only have one child in each family, and that child is a boy. Because they've already produced an heir, so to speak, they made no attempts to have more children. But your mother had a girl…and then another girl. Your grandparents on both sides were nearly beside themselves, and their insistence that they produce an heir was very stressful to both of them. So they tried one more time, and that's when you were born. But by then, your mother and your father had so many disagreements and problems that they just didn't want to be with each other anymore."

"YaYa and Claire say that you and Dad were good friends, and that we used to spend time with you all the time before Mum died."

Hermione laughed as she pulled the car up to the garage and hit the built in door opener button near her rear view mirror. "We were really good friends. That sort of evolved when I was going through my divorce. He was a very good friend to me when I needed it the most, and I used to help him by watching you three when your mother and father were going through their separation and divorce, which of course was called off once your mother's illness was too far progressed to do anything else." Putting her car in park, she shut of the engine, pocketed her keys in her purse, and turned to face Scorpius. "You should know, however, that your father was loyal to your mother until the very end," she said. "They weren't in love with each other by then, but they still loved each other. After all, she gave him three of his five most prized possessions in this world. He would have done anything he could have to save her. When she found out she had cancer, right after your first birthday, he dragged her all over Europe to see doctors, trying to find a cure."

Scorpius processed her words as he unbuckled his seat belt. "He really did try to save her, didn't he?"

"Harder than anyone ever could have tried," Hermione replied. "In fact, that's one of the things I love the most about your father. He is loyal to a fault. He might have been on the wrong side of the wizarding war, but he was only on that side to protect his mother - who was the only person who at that point had ever genuinely cared about him. Your Nana Cissa was someone incredibly dear and important to your father, and I know he misses her every day.

He nodded as Hermione reached behind his seat and grabbed his coat. "Do you think he misses our mum?"

"I certainly do," Hermione replied. "I think he misses her the most when the three of you on your birthdays, when we celebrate milestones like school and achievements, and when he realizes that the three of you have just grown up a little too fast for his liking…or mine for that matter. Your father, despite the steel facade he likes to throw in public, has become a good, kindhearted, and honest man. There isn't an ounce of the boy in him that I remember detesting at school."

Scorpius nodded, his arms sliding into his coat. "Mum?"

"Yes?"

"I really do promise to not fight with anyone again," he said, looking her straight in the eye, his voice serious. "I want you to be proud of me like you are of Dad."

Smiling, she leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I _am_ very proud of you, Scorpius. That was a very mature thing to say."

"I want to be a good man, just like Dad," he said. "And I probably can't be one if I punch people in the face…even if they do deserve it."

Smirking, Hermione grabbed her purse and plucked her gum out of her cubby in the console, putting it back in her purse where it belonged. "Do you want to know a secret?"

"Is a good secret?"

Hermione laughed. "When I was a third year, I punched your father right in the face…and broke his nose."

His jaw dropped in shock, completely stunned. Hermione opened her door and climbed out of the car, walking around to the back to unload their purchases. Quickly, Scorpius climbed out of the car as well and ran around to the back. "You hit Dad. In the face. And broke his nose!"

"I most certainly did," Hermione replied, not sounding the least bit sorry.

"Why!"

She grabbed the last of their bags, including the boxed broom, and reached for the hatch to slam it shut. "Because he deserved it," she said, laughing at the look on her son's face. "And just like you don't regret hitting Dexter Boot, I have, to this day, never lost a wink of sleep over punching your father in the face."

Scorpius took some of the bags out of her hand and followed her inside the house. "Is that why you didn't ground me for hitting him?"

"Maybe just a little bit," she said with a smirk. "But I meant what I said - you do it again and you're dead meat."

"Yes Ma'am."


	35. Chapter 35

_**So...I decided I needed some excitement.**_

And for those of you who thought there wasn't enough D/H in the last couple of chapters, well, this is for you :)

* * *

><p>Draco could feel a hand wandering up the inside of the thin white t-shirt he slept in, and the tugging of his pajama pants drawstrings. He was tired, having been up until nearly two in the morning with James, putting together toys and setting things up in the exact way Hermione wanted them for the children when they woke up later that morning. He was exhausted as he cracked his eyes open, the alarm clock on his nightstand reading eight o'clock. Craning his neck the other direction, he found the owner of the hand that was now lightly massaging his side.<p>

"Draco," she cooed in his ear. "Draco wake up."

"No," he mumbled, despite the lower regions of his anatomy defying his words. The night before he had been up late playing Santa, making sure presents were put together and put out with Hermione for the children in the morning, and then Christmas Day itself was an exhausting one. They were at their house, Richard and Jean's house, then the Burrow. By the time they were all back in the mansion at 8 o'clock, Draco was ready for bed. In fact, he knew for a fact he was asleep before nine, because he usually watched a bit of Muggle news on the telly in his room before going to bed, and he didn't make it that far last night.

"Come on, Draco," Hermione encouraged, letting a hand wander south. "I have one more present for you."

"You know the children are just going to come in here and interrupt this," he said with a groan.

"Harby's keeping them occupied," Hermione promised. "And Vexo's making breakfast for them."

Draco dug the sleep out of his eyes with the palms of his hands, hardly able to contain a moan when he felt one of Hermione's hands slip all the way down his pants. "What a banner day in elf land," he mumbled, knowing that both of the elves were not used as much as they would like to be. "You better not be starting something you aren't willing to finish, Granger," he said minutes later as her hand wrapped around his full erection. Blinking his eyes into focus, he looked up and saw Hermione removing her hand from inside of his pants as she was now crawling on top of him, pulling away at the belt of her robe to reveal some rather festive holiday lingerie. "Holy shit," he mumbled.

Hermione bit her lip. "Do you like it?"

"Most definitely," he replied, sitting up ever so slightly as Hermione helped him peel away his shirt. He pushed away the robe she wore, and smirked as she pulled her long hair down from the clip that was holding it all up. She threatened to hack it all off once, right after Katie was born, but Draco made her promise she wouldn't.

"_And why not!" she exclaimed, looking at him through the mirror as she sat in front of her vanity. "It's just a mess - just like you used to say it was when we were younger!" _

_He realized this was the exhaustion talking, because Hermione usually saved her hysterics for more serious events, like the healer telling them that morning that baby Katie would be stuck at St. Mungo's for another two weeks before they would consider releasing her to go home, making it so that the first seven weeks of her life consisted of her being cooped up in a plastic incubator crib while the healers administered potions and medicines to help her lungs develop. _

_Draco moved to stand behind her, giving her tired shoulders a squeeze. He kissed the top of her head and smiled at her through the mirror. "I love your hair," he told her. "I would be utterly devastated if you got rid of it. Besides - it's much more…under control than it used to be." _

_She glared at him. "If you think you're helping, you're sorely mistaken." _

_He kissed the top of her head again. "I love your hair," he repeated. "It's one of the many things that makes you who you are. And if you want to know a secret, sometimes, when you fall asleep on me, I like to run my fingers through it, because it relaxes me." _

_Hermione gave him a doubtful look. "You. Like to run your fingers through this? I can barely get a brush through it right now." _

"_That's probably because it's Thursday, and the last time you showered was Monday," he gently replied. "So go. Take a shower. We'll go back to the hospital after dinner."_

"You're positive we're not going to be interrupted?" Draco asked as he kicked away the pajama pants and boxers that were currently hanging around one remaining ankle.

Hermione nodded as she was now underneath him, completely naked as Draco had managed to rid her of her lingerie in the midst of their heavy petting and snogging. "The elves know what to do. They've never let us be interrupted before."

Draco hovered over Hermione, pausing for a moment as he made a face. "What about James and Anya? Where are they?"

"They stayed at the Potters, remember?"

"Right. I forgot about that."

She reached down and grabbed his erection, slowly gliding it between her wet folds, humming in anticipation. He leaned in and kissed her, his body pressing against hers as she moved her hand, his erection teasing her as his hips rocked ever so slightly against her center. "I'm not so sure how I ever got to be so lucky."

Hermione looked him in the eye and smiled, a hand rubbing against the stubble on his cheek. "I could say the same."

He glanced over at the engagement ring on her finger and laced a hand with hers. "In a few months you'll be stuck with me forever."

"I'm already stuck with you forever," she sincerely replied.

"Forever is a long time, Granger."

"It's infinite, just like us," she whispered, untangling her hand from his as her arms wrapped up around his neck, her eyes closed as they rolled back in ecstasy as she felt Draco push into her with one thrust.

They couldn't get close enough to each other, their bodies engaging in an all too familiar rhythm as they tumbled over one another in bed. Hermione's nails dragged their way through his hair, Draco's lips paying particular attention to her collar bone as he increased the speed of his thrusting, Hermione's gasps letting him know she was close. He grabbed the underside of her leg and pulled it up as Hermione arched her back, her other leg linking tightly around his waist.

By the time Hermione screamed his name, Draco's thrusts became harder, deeper, and faster, until he felt himself fall over the edge, their bodies smashed together as his hips erratically jerked through his orgasm. He could taste the salty sweat on her skin as his lips left languid kisses against her neck, her hands caressing and kneading his lower back, neither making any effort to move.

"I love you," Hermione heard him whisper in her ear, lightly nipping at her earlobe. "So much."

"I love you too," she replied.

He propped himself up slightly so he could look at her. "If I say I've missed you - will you think I'm crazy?"

Hermione smiled, giving him a simple head shake. "I've missed you too."

It wasn't that they hadn't had sex since Draco's heart attack - because they had. It just didn't hit either one of them until that moment that this level of intimacy was what had been missing from their lives in the past few months. But between Leo and Katie's school activities, worrying about Anya once she moved in, and then there were Draco's cardio rehab appointments and quidditch games on the weekends for Claire and Scorpius - there was always something. Neither could remember the last time they had been so busy with the children.

"Things are going to calm down, Anya's going to move back home," Hermione added, her hands pushing a few of Draco's locks away from his face. "We'll get back to normal soon."

A wry chuckle escaped Draco's mouth. "Has this family ever been normal?"

"Normal for us, then," Hermione replied with a smirk. "Once Claire and Scorp go back to school, we'll get Katie and Leo back on their regular bedtime routine -"

"And then we can get back to _our_ regular bedtime routine," Draco finished with a wiggle of his eyebrows. He leaned down and kissed her lips with his. "Because I mean it - I've missed you, Granger."

She kissed him back before he pulled away. "And I've missed you too."

He pulled himself out of her, rolling onto his backside while stifling a yawn with his forearm. He'd lost his will to move at this moment, instead choosing to watch Hermione swing her legs over to her side of the bed, standing up in all her naked glory before retrieving the various articles of clothing scattered about the floor and depositing them into the laundry hamper. "Care for joining me in a bath?" she called out to him.

Draco sat up a little bit. "You really we should push our luck?"

Hermione walked back into the bedroom, as naked as she was when she left. "The elves were quite happy to be put to work this morning, Draco. I'm sure Claire and Scorp are outside showing Leo how to fly his broom, and Katie is probably engrossed in reading her new books to Harby. We've got _plenty_ of time for a bath."

"Well when you put it _that_ way…"

* * *

><p>"So Anya, have you decided who will be in the delivery room with you?"<p>

Anya sat with the entire Potter clan at breakfast, stabbing at some scrambled eggs while she nibbled on a piece of toast. She was hungry, but woke up not feeling all that well. She blamed it on the lack of sleep she'd been getting, as it was entirely impossible for her to get comfortable. James, however, since he came home, had no problem sleeping, hardly stirring an inch while Anya tossed and turned. "Um, not really," she finally said, feeling James' hand move to her lower back. She shifted slightly until his hand found a particularly sore spot, and James began to silently massage the area. "I assume it'll just be us," she added, motioning between her and James with a flip of her hand.

Ginny looked surprised at the statement. "Really? When I had my children, I had Harry, my mother, Fleur, Hermione, Angelina, Audrey…"

"It was a bloody circus," Harry wryly replied, laughing as his wife kicked him under the table. "You two are smart - keeping it to just you two."

Anya looked over at Ginny. "Why on earth would you have that many people in there? I can hardly stand the thought that James has to be in there."

"Thanks, love."

Anya looked over and James and gave him a look. "You know what I mean."

James laughed, knowing exactly what Anya meant. He was well aware that Anya was an incredibly private person. She nearly took the head off of her OB healer last week as she found it completely appalling how he had no problem having a conversation with her while his gloved hand was probing her cervix. She never wore a bikini on vacations, unless it was just the two of them and they were completely secluded from others.

"_My body isn't for others to gawk at," she said, standing in front of him in a stylish but modest one-piece swimsuit as the two of them got ready in their room before meeting her family out on the beach. It was the first family trip to the south of France with Katie, and everyone was excited to take her out to the ocean for the first time, even if she wouldn't probably never remember it, being barely a year old. "Unless of course, you're the one doing the gawking." _

_James laughed. "Well, as much as I appreciate you allowing me to gawk, I really don't mind if you wear a bikini. I've gotten used to ignoring the men who leer at you. Comes with the territory of you being a famous ballerina and all." _

_Anya walked over to him and planted a firm kiss to his lips. "There are some things that should only be for you," she said, brushing her lip gloss from his lips with her thumb. "Besides – I'm trying to be a good example for Claire – whose current wardrobe choices are digging my father an early grave." _

"I've already promised I won't look anywhere below your belly button," he said with a wink. Of course, after he had the terrifying experience of delivering Katie on Hermione's bathroom floor, James was convinced he didn't want to see anything like that ever again.

"That's a good call, James," Harry said, shivering a bit.

James and Albus laughed at loud, while Lily stifled a giggle. "Which one of us did you watch?" Albus asked.

"You," he replied, pointing a fork at Lily. "Only because we knew you would be the last and your mother told me to and I nearly passed out in the process." He plucked a few bites of eggs from his plate and shoved them into his mouth. "There are just some things," he said after swallowing. "That you don't ever need to see. Ever. That was one of them."

Ginny shook her head. "Ignore him. I had a mirror so I could see all three of you and it was a _beautiful_ experience.

"There will be no mirrors," Anya quickly stated as she made a face. "I have no desire to watch."

Ginny laughed. "I remember right before you two were born, and your mother and I were visiting with each other while your fathers were out on a mission and when I told you mother I wanted to watch, she made that exact same face and said the exact same thing."

"Ginny," Harry said with a slight tone.

"What?" Ginny asked with a laugh. "She did!"

Anya looked down at her plate. Picking up her napkin, she began to fold it in halves, her nails pinching down the crease of each fold. James noticed her nervous habit, having had it her whole life, and leaned in close to her, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "You're going to be a _wonderful_ mother," he stated.

She gave him a quick nod as her fingers folded the paper napkin again.

He kissed her temple. "You know," he said, pulling his wife's chair closer to him so he could keep an arm around her. "I couldn't believe how prepared Anya was when I came back for Jamie's arrival. I'm almost jealous that there was nothing left for me to do."

Anya looked over at him and smirked slightly. "There will be plenty for you to do once he gets here."

"I hope so," James replied. "This kid could come out a complete mama's boy - and then where will I be?"

"Doubtful," Anya countered. "He'll be just like you. I know it."

"I personally hope he's just as awesome as his Uncle Albus," Albus interjected, earning a laugh from the table. "I'm going to be the best uncle ever."

Anya looked over at Albus and smirked. "Well, you'll have to compete with Teddy for that title, as he's already claimed it. Speaking of - have you heard from him at all?"

Harry nodded. "He's in Paris with the Delacour side of the family. I'm sure he's going to pop the question to Victoire any day now."

"He's going to wait until she's done with school," James stated.

"Why wait if you know you're going to do it?" Ginny asked.

"Because that's what he wants to do, Mum," Albus replied.

"Daddy?"

"Yes darling?"

Lily sat up straighter in her chair and tucked her long auburn locks back behind her ear. "Can we go to Diagon Alley today? I was wondering if I could get some ingredients for my new potions set to take back with me to Hogwarts."

Harry gave his daughter a nod. "Certainly. Professor Slughorn says he's been incredibly impressed with your classwork. He says that your Grandma Lily would be incredibly proud of your abilities."

Lily beamed at the praise. "He says I could make a career out of it if I really wanted to."

"You're a little young to be thinking about a career, aren't you Lily Luna?" Albus asked, giving one of her locks a playful tug.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't like quidditch, I don't like dragons, and I don't want to be an auror…potion making is the first thing I've done at Hogwarts that I'm good at."

"You know," Anya said, keeping a straight face as James managed to find another sore spot on her back that he was quietly working out with his fingers. "Victoire is really good at potions - it's why she became a healer. You should talk to her. I bet in the summer, she'd let you come and shadow her at work so you could see if you're interested."

"Really? I didn't know that's why she became a healer," Lily said.

"You should talk to her," Anya encouraged.

"I will!" Lily exclaimed. "Definitely. Thanks Anya!"

James could sense his wife's general sense of discomfort continuing, and by the looks of her barely eaten plate, he didn't see her finishing her food any time soon. "If you'll excuse us," he said, standing up from his chair and moving so that he could help Anya stand. "We're going to go upstairs and rest a little bit."

"But Anya, you hardly touched your plate," Ginny said. "If you want, I can make you something else."

"I'm not hungry," she said. "I didn't sleep a lot last night and I just feel under the weather I guess. But thank you - it smelled delicious, I promise."

"Well, if you get hungry later, come down and we'll make you something," Ginny said. "And think about what I said earlier. I'd be more than happy to be in the delivery room with you when Jamie's born."

Anya only replied with a curt nod as James ushered her out of the kitchen in Grimmauld Place, and up the stairs. Reaching his bedroom, she walked over to his dresser and leaned her arms against the top of it, bending slightly as she began to take in slow, deep breaths. "You realize that hell will freeze over before she's in that room, right?"

Laughing, James walked over and stood behind his wife, pulling her shirt up to expose her back as he began to dig his fingers into her stiff muscles. "I don't want her in there any more than you do. She means well -"

"I know she means well," Anya said, cutting him off. "But I don't want her in there."

"I know," he reassured her. "It'll be fine, I promise."

She tried to breathe through her nose, but found herself stuffed up. "I think I'm getting a cold or something," she said. "Which is like, the worst possible thing at the moment because I can hardly sleep as it is. A cold is just going to make everything worse."

James reached up to Anya's shoulders and gently pulled her back so that she was standing up. Turning her around, he moved his hands to her upper arms and gave them a squeeze. "Tell me what to do," he said. "I know you're upset, miserable, that you don't feel good - so tell me. Tell me what you want me to do and I will do it."

Blinking tears away, she wiped her eyes with her hands and sighed, unable to control her hormones or her emotions. "I just want to go home. I want to go home to our house, and sleep in my bed. I know I told Claire I would stay until she goes back but I just want to go to our house."

"Well then, that's what we'll do," James replied. "All I care about is keeping you happy and comfortable. Let's go back to your house, get your stuff, and head home, ok?"

She nodded. "Thank you."

"No thanks necessary, love," he replied.

* * *

><p>Hours later, Hermione was in James and Anya's bedroom, helping Anya get comfortable in bed while Draco and James were out in the living room playing a game of chess. She dug out an awkwardly shaped S pillow she had during her pregnancies and showed Anya how to wind it around her body to help support her growing belly and her back. "I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner," she said to Anya, helping her get situated. "This pillow is magic. I swear."<p>

Already helping and alleviating some pressure, Anya hugged the top part of the pillow and stared at Hermione, who sat on James' side of the bed. Her eyes closed as she felt Hermione's fingers push back some of her hair away from her face. "I don't think I've ever been so miserable," she mumbled.

"Welcome to the home stretch of pregnancy," Hermione replied with a chuckle. "I was the same way with Leo. I thought your father was going to kill me at one point - nothing he did made me feel better. I was just miserable."

"I'm sorry we moved out early."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to be in your own home – and in your own bed, Anya," Hermione insisted.

Anya sighed, reaching for some tissue Hermione had placed next to her pillow and blew her nose. "Ginny wants to be in the delivery room when we have Jamie."

"I'm not surprised," Hermione replied. She slouched against the headboard of the bed and began to lightly rake her fingers through Anya's hair, trying to relax her a bit. "She practically had every Weasley woman in her room for her childbirths."

Anya blew her nose again. "I don't want anyone in there. I mean, James has to be, but I don't want anyone else."

"I didn't want anyone in my room when I had Leo," she said. "And I'm sure I would have felt the same way about Katie, had she not graced us with her presence so early."

"Ginny said that she watched all three of her children be born with a mirror," Anya continued. "And when I said I had no desire to watch, she said I sounded just like my mother."

Hermione continued to lightly drag her nails against Anya's scalp, her shiny black hair flipping through her fingers. "Ginny is a Weasley," she said. "Weasleys want to see everything, want to do everything, and want to be a part of everything when it comes to family. Ginny watched all of her children be born because that's what _her_ mother did. It's what they do. Fortunately for you, and future Potter spouses, your husband and his siblings have seemed to have that Weasley gene trumped with the Potter gene for privacy, and unnecessary need to have everything in life become a gigantic production. And if it makes you feel better, I had no desire to see Leo being pulled out of me either. There are some things that should just be left to one's imagination."

Nodding, Anya hugged the top part of her pillow closer and closed her eyes, trying not to be overly enthusiastic at the prospect that sleep might actually come to her. "I just…I feel like now that Ginny wants to be in there, I can't have you in there," she mumbled. "You know…if I need you…because I might…want you."

"Shhh," Hermione whispered, smiling at her oldest daughter as she seemed to drift off to sleep. "Everything will be fine," she quietly promised. "Go to sleep."

Hermione stayed in bed with Anya for close to a half hour, not daring to move until she was certain that Anya was dead asleep. When a muffled shout from the living room, startling Hermione but eliciting nothing from her sleeping daughter, she carefully climbed out of bed, draped a quilt over Anya, and threw a few silencing charms around her to ensure a peaceful slumber, but not to keep others from hearing her if she needed anything.

Shuffling down the hallway, she found the source of the shouting - James and Draco were locked into a fierce game of chess, Harry sitting in between them in a kitchen chair he dragged into the living room as he watched. She knew that Harry was probably getting much enjoyment out of the current game, which appeared to have James winning. Harry could never beat Ron, who also taught James to play, and he could never beat Draco. When Draco and James played, it was usually a 50-50 split as to who would come out as the winner, the loser eliciting a long string of cursing afterwards before challenging the winner to a rematch.

"She's sleeping finally," Hermione said to the men.

James sighed with relief. "Thank God."

"I take it you gave her that awful pillow?" Draco inquired with a smirk.

"I did, and it's currently working its magic," Hermione replied.

Draco looked over at James. "Have fun with that. You may just want to go ahead and expand your bed because there won't be enough room for the three of you."

"Three?"

"You, my daughter, and that blasted pillow," Draco replied.

Hermione ignored her husband's remark, though she caught his playful wink and returned it with a smirk before finding Ginny in the kitchen, preparing what looked to be several freezer meals. "These look wonderful," she remarked.

Ginny smiled. "Thanks. I just thought they wouldn't be up for much cooking. We offered to send Kreacher over here, but Anya of course wouldn't hear anything about it."

"Well, they live in Muggle London," Hermione reminded them, ignoring the dig at Anya. "This is how they choose to live. They know we could always send one of our elves, but elves don't like to be on the Muggle side of the universe any more than wizards wanting them on this side. It's too risky."

"Which is why they should really consider moving," Ginny added. "We have the house in Godric's Hollow they are more than welcome to have."

"They like living in Muggle London," Hermione replied. "The majority of Anya's friends are muggles, and James has made some good friends as well. This is where they choose to live. You should be supporting them."

Ginny sealed off another freezer bag full of food and covered a prepared casserole dish and placed them both into the nearly full freezer. "And when their children begin to show magic?"

"I survived just fine," Hermione reminded her friend with a laugh. "And so will their children."

Shutting the freezer, Ginny wiped her hands on the apron she wore and sighed. "I just worry about them."

"Of course you do," Hermione said.

Ginny removed the apron and hung it up on the hook as she and Hermione began to clean up the kitchen. "Anya says she doesn't want anyone in the delivery room."

"Anya's always been a very private person."

"But this is different."

"She's going to be exposed seven ways to Sunday, Ginny. This isn't different."

Ginny huffed as she began to wipe down the counters. "She can't keep continuing to cut me out of everything, Hermione. I'm going to be this child's grandmother, and I'm going to want to be involved."

Hermione loaded up their dishwasher, knowing Ginny had no idea how to use it, and gave her friend a nod. "You'll be involved, Ginny, but that doesn't mean you have to be there the moment the child is born. This is their moment. Their family. We don't have a right to be a part of everything."

Harry walked into the small kitchen at that moment, tossing three empty beers into the trash can as he was clearly on a mission to retrieve three more. He saw his best friend and his wife staring at each other intently and swallowed a sigh. "What's a matter now?" he dared to ask.

"Hermione says that _we_ don't have the _right_ to be a part of our children's _lives_," Ginny bit out.

"That's not what I said," Hermione countered. "I said in this moment, where the two of them become a family, we do not have the right to be a part of it. To intrude. This is their moment," she repeated.

"See!" Ginny exclaimed.

Harry did nothing to hold back the second sigh. "Ginny - Hermione's ri-"

"Don't say Hermione's right," she snapped at her husband. "Don't say she's right if you know what's good for you. We already missed their engagement, their wedding, and we should be allowed at the very least, the courtesy of being present at the birth of our first grandchild."

Harry stared at his wife. "We will be present. We'll be in the waiting room with everyone else."

"I want to be in the room."

"You aren't going to be in the room, Mum."

Everyone turned their attention to James, with Draco standing behind him.

"But James -"

"But nothing, Mum," James argued. "I only want one thing at the moment, and that is for my wife to be as relaxed and comfortable as possible from this moment on until Jamie is here. She is miserable and is doing her best not to complain about it. What she wants will happen, and you will not say another word about it."

Ginny shook her head. "I'm sick and tired of feeling like I'm left out of _everything_. It's like the moment you two decided to date - nothing else has mattered, including what your own _mother_ thinks! Do you know how hurtful that is to me? It breaks my heart!"

"Mum, that was never our intent," James said. He looked over at Hermione. "Do you feel this way?" he asked, then looked back over his shoulder at Draco. "Do you?"

"We're different," Draco said. "Were we marginally disappointed about the wedding? Yes, but you two are happy, and that's all that has ever mattered to me. Hermione?"

"Absolutely," Hermione insisted.

"She didn't even want to stay at our house while you were away!" Ginny exclaimed. "We offered and offered and she said no every time!"

Harry gave his wife a look. "Would you have expected any different from Lily if she were in Anya's shoes?"

"It's not the same."

"It is the same," Harry argued. "Anya stayed at her home. Where she grew up. Our house isn't home to her."

"Was our house not the same house she used to sneak off to when she was younger?"

"Ginny you're grasping at straws," Hermione said with utter exasperation.

"I'm what?"

"It's a Muggle expression," Harry replied. "You're just finding reasons to be upset now, and you're getting upset over nothing. We are just as much a part of James and Anya's life as Draco and Hermione are, and that goes for the new baby as well."

James nodded in agreement. "We never meant for you to feel left out, Mum. Honest. We just…we like doing things our own way. I know you think Anya just calls the shots around here and I go along with it, but we do make decisions together. And if it appears as if I just do what she wants to do, well, I learned that from Dad, because that's what he does for you."

Harry gave his wife a knowing look, and Ginny knew her son was right. "You don't do _everything_ I want," she mumbled.

"I'd say you have about a 99.9% success rate in getting your way, Ginny," Harry said with a smirk. He walked over to his wife and kissed her cheek, his hands pulling her hair back so that it fell behind her shoulders. "Stop taking everything so personally, ok?" he asked her quietly. "They're going to need all four of us. This isn't a contest."

"He's right," Hermione added. "Besides - you two are pretty much childless during the year - whereas we have Leo and Katie. You'll always be first on the babysitting list - you'll be less busy.

"This is true," James said with a grin.

Ginny sighed. "I guess you're right. I just…I just really wanted to be there in the room with you guys."

James walked over and gave his mother a hug, which she returned. "If it makes you feel better, I'm almost positive Anya would prefer that I wasn't in there either," he said, giving his mom a squeeze. "But it's my kid too, so she can't kick me out."

"Oh…there's plenty of time for her to change her mind," Draco teased.

"Trust me," James said with a laugh. "I'm aware."

* * *

><p>At the Malfoy Mansion, Albus, Claire, Lily, Scorpius, Leo, and Katie stood outside, bundled up as it was a cold winter day out in Wiltshire. Scorpius and Leo wanted to fly on their brooms again, and Albus agreed to go with as Leo was still adjusting to riding a real broom as opposed to the training broom. Katie wanted to fly too, and Scorpius volunteered to take her.<p>

"Absolutely not," Claire stated. "Hermione will kill us if we let that happen."

"Like I'm going to let anything happen to my sister," Scorpius scoffed. "She'll be safe with me."

"You're not strong enough yet, Scorp," Albus added. "Even with a sticking charm, you aren't used to flying with that much weight on a broom."

"She barely weighs two stones!" Scorpius indigently exclaimed.

"It's how the weight is situated on the broom," Albus replied. He looked over at Katie and gave her an apologetic smile. "You can ride with me if you want, buttercup."

Katie sighed and shook her head no, because she could see that Scorpius was upset about not being able to fly with her. "I'm going to go inside and play," she said instead, and with that, retreated indoors.

"I'm with Katie," Lily chimed in. "Have fun, boys."

"You coming or going?" Albus asked Claire.

She jerked her head towards the house. "I'm staying," she said. "It's too cold." She looked over at Leo and pointed a finger in his direction. "Don't fly too high," she warned. "It's windy out. Hermione will never forgive Dad for getting you that broom if you get hurt."

Leo rolled his eyes. "I'm going to be _fine_, Claire."

"I'll make sure they return in one piece," Albus reassured Claire. "I don't fancy having the wrath of Aunt Hermione over my head any more than, well, anyone does I reckon."

Claire laughed as she returned inside, where she found Lily helping Katie hang up her winter coat up in the cloak room located off the side of the kitchen. "Looks like it's just us girls," she said. "Katie, I'm going to go organize my closet…and make some room for these new clothes Santa brought. Do you want to help?"

"I love organizing!" Katie exclaimed. "I'll be a big help!"

Lily and Claire laughed at Katie as she ran off towards the stairs. "You can help too," Claire said to Lily. "I need your blunt and honest opinion while I go through things…so channel your mother, because I want to know exactly what you think."

"Alright," Lily laughed as they jogged up the stairs.

Katie was already in Claire's bedroom, standing inside her gigantic and completely unorganized closet with a look of disgust on her face. "How can you find stuff?" she asked, smacking her little hands to her hips.

"I just do," Claire replied.

She started pulling things out of the closet, and Lily followed suit while Katie started making a pile for each kind of clothing. Once the walk-in closet was emptied, the three of them stood around, Claire absently scratching at the splint on her wrist, looking at the mountains of clothing, shoes, and various accessories in front of them.

"Claire?"

"Yes Katie."

"I think you gots too many clothes," she replied.

"I think she's right," Lily added. "Ok…where are we starting?"

Claire sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "We're tossing anything that looks too small…or um, revealing…if you know what I mean."

"Gotcha," Lily said. "Anything else?"

"I just…I think I need to dress a little less like…well, me…but I don't know really how else to do it."

Lily nodded as she bent down and picked up the menagerie of belts on the floor and tossed them onto Claire's bed. "Well, when I pick out clothes, or when I decide what to wear, I always think to myself, what would Anya wear?"

"Really?"

"She always dresses so pretty, and she does it in a really classy way," Lily continued. "It never matters how Anya is dressed - she's always put together and always looks appropriate for whatever it is she's doing - even if it's lounging around all day. Everyone respects your sister, both in the Muggle and Wizard world. She's always on the best dressed pages of _Witch Weekly_ and other British Muggle gossip magazines." Lily started to sort the belts by color and size, and looked over at Claire. "I'm surprised you've never asked her for advice. I ask her about clothes all the time."

Claire looked over at Katie, who was lining up her shoes, and shrugged. "I guess I always thought she was super conservative."

"I wouldn't say super conservative," Lily said, tossing a few belts into a newly designated "rubbish" pile. "But you sister always says that if you show everything you have, it gives people nothing to think about." She looked around at the clothes and back at Claire. "You have the clothes - you just don't wear them the way your sister would. And you should - because you're super pretty, Claire. Like, the prettiest person I've ever met. You would look amazing in anything you put on your body."

"You are super pretty," Katie chimed in. "Daddy always says you're as pretty as Nana Cissa, and Mummy showeded me pictures of her and she looked like a real princess."

Claire laughed at her sister. "Well thank you, Katie. You're as pretty as a princess too. Both of you are," she said, looking over at Lily."

"You're a different kind of pretty," Lily said with a smile. "And you know it, too."

Shrugging, she began to rummage through a pile of dresses, tossing the first several she went through into the "rubbish" pile. Lily did the same as she moved onto a pile of skirts and shorts, not even bothering to hide her face as she stared at some of them questionably. When Katie decided she needed a snack, she ran off towards the kitchen, leaving Claire and Lily alone.

"Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think…I mean…I know you heard what Dexter was saying about me," she demurely stated. "And I asked Anya if she thought he was right in saying that I was asking for it, and she said no, but do you think…I mean…do you think I give boys the wrong idea?"

Lily, unsure of what to say, walked over to the "rubbish" pile and pulled out a ridiculously short jean skirt, and held it out to her. "I don't know about giving boys the wrong idea, but what I will tell you is this. Girls who look like you but wear skirts like this…all it says to me is that you are asking for attention in all the wrong places. You're really smart, Claire, on top of being pretty, but you wear stuff like this and the attention you're grabbing isn't because of your best qualities. They don't care how smart you are, or how big your heart is. All they see is a whole lot of leg, and then their brain just…stops working."

Claire laughed a little bit. "You sure you're just fourteen?"

"You told me to channel my mother," Lily playfully warned.

"I did," Claire agreed.

"You didn't deserve what Dexter Boot did to you," Lily stated. "But if you want people to start looking at you differently, and paying attention to you because of who you are and not what you wear, well, that I can help you with. After all, your sister taught me all I know."

Over the course of the next hour, Lily began putting all sorts of outfits together, dressing up Claire like a mannequin and putting Katie in charge of using her Polaroid camera to take pictures of each outfit as a reference. Lily matched all sorts of blazers with skirts, blouses with jeans and pants, and paired various accessories to each outfit. Claire was actually quite impressed with this newly realized skill of Lily, and while she did appear to dress more like Anya, Lily used the accessories to make it more 'her,' which Claire loved. Katie organized her picture piles by the type of outfit, whether it be causal, dressy, or every day, and of course took her picture taking job very seriously.

Once they added all of her new clothes into the mix - clothes clearly picked out by Hermione as they were mostly cardigans, pencil skirts, and blouses, Lily matched the new clothes up with her current items and Katie clicked more pictures. "Anya says that layering is always good," Lily informed Claire. "So long as you aren't layered like a homeless person."

Claire laughed. "That definitely sounds like something she'd say."

"Oooh! I like this outfit the bestest!" Katie exclaimed as she snapped a picture.

Claire stared at her reflection, wearing a black pencil skirt, black heels, a cream colored camisole, with an open taupe colored cardigan, a thin black belt wrapped around her middle. Lily had given her a strand of pearls to wear around her neck and the matching earrings to go with, pulling back her hair and holding it up so Claire could see the whole picture. "You look really professional," Lily added.

She nodded, taking her hair out of Lily's hands and quickly fastening it up into a messy bun. She turned to look at her reflection from one side, than the other. "This is how the women dress at the conferences Grandpa Richard and Grandma Jean go to," she said.

"You look like Mummy when she goes to do work at the Ministry," Katie added.

Suddenly, the chimes of the doorbell echoed throughout the house.

"I'll get it!" Katie exclaimed.

Claire followed her sister, as did Lily, throughout the hall and down the stairs. Katie flung the door open as Claire reached the bottom stair, and the moment she saw a haggard man with long, white hair askew, she snatched her sister up quickly, barely noticing the sting in her wrist as she held an arm out, preventing Lily from walking forward.

"You look like the mudblood," the old man groused.

"That man said a bad word," Katie whispered in her sister's ear.

"Is that…" Lily started to say, but stopped in case it wasn't.

Claire swallowed hard. "Grandfather."

"Narcissa," Lucius Malfoy's voice drawled. "Why are you calling me grandfather?"

Confused, Claire swallowed hard again and looked up at Katie. She saw the necklace her father gave her yesterday at Christmas, a charm in the shape of a book that her initials carved into the back. She and Anya had a necklace just the same, only hers was a crown, while Anya's was the shape of a ballet pointe shoe. It wasn't until a few years after she was given the necklace, right before she went to Hogwarts, when her father told her what it could do.

"_If you're ever in trouble," Draco told Claire as she sat on his lap in his study. "You just hold onto this charm tightly, pinching it with your thumb and forefinger - your thumb right against your initials, and Daddy will find you. Daddy always wants you to be safe." _

_Claire's eyes were wide. "You'll find me?" she asked. "But…how?"_

_He plucked the end of her pretty pointed noise with a finger and kissed her forehead. "Magic, silly." _

"Lucius," Claire said, clearing her throat a bit as she steeled her nerves. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what's come over me."

Lucius stared at Claire through the gated door. "Well, aren't you going to let me inside? No one is home at the Manor, so I came here instead. Why are you here? Why aren't you at the Manor?"

Nervously, she smiled and reluctantly opened the gated door, allowing Lucius inside. Nonchalantly, her fingers found Katie's necklace and she pinched the book charm between her fingers until Katie's initials were embedded into her own thumb. "Oh…well…she stammered, moving so that Lily was standing behind her as she held onto Katie as tightly as she could. "I came to visit Draco, and to see the grandchildren."

Lucius scowled as he walked into the front room. "Still taking up with the mudblood I see."

"You really shouldn't say that word," Claire plainly stated. She could see that her grandfather was clearly not in his right mind, though she wasn't exactly sure where his mind was if he was in a reality where her father was with Hermione while he thought that she was his wife, and not his granddaughter.

He looked over at her, taking in her appearance, and scowled. "Why are dressed like one of _them_. Where are your robes?"

Claire shrugged. "Just looking for a change, I guess. Hermione bought it for me."

"You dare to speak that mudblood's name in my presence!" Lucius hissed.

"I'm sorry!" Claire squeaked.

Lucius nodded. "Yes. It's about time I get out of these dirty rags. I take it that horrific mop of red hair behind you belongs to a _Weasley_?"

"No…just a neighbor girl from down the road a bit," Claire lied through her teeth. "She helps with the children sometimes."

"Disgusting, blood traitor family," Lucius sneered. "The whole lot of them - a disgrace to the entire wizarding world. Just wait, Cissa. You'll see. They'll get what's coming to them. All of them."

"Of course, darling," Claire said. She didn't remember much of her grandmother, but she always remembered that she called him darling. "Grandfa-I mean, Lucius, might I be allowed…to usher the children upstairs, and then I can help you get into some cleaner clothes?"

Katie's arms tightened around Claire's neck. "I don't want to go upstairs," she whispered. "I'm too scared. He's a really bad man."

"It'll be ok," she whispered into her ear. "Daddy will come. You'll see."

"How do you know?"

"Just wait," she whispered. "He'll be here any second."

* * *

><p>Towards the end of his third game of chess with James, Draco could feel the inside of his Malfoy ring burning. Tugging the ring from his right hand ring finger, he flipped it over on the inside and watched as the words appeared.<p>

_KEM - Malfoy Mansion - Danger_

"Hermione!" Draco shouted. "Hermione we need to go."

Nearly jumping out of her seat in the kitchen, she clapped a hand over her chest. "Jesus, Draco, must you shout!"

"We need to go!" he hissed. "Something's wrong at the house. My ring - it has Katie's initials in it."

"I thought you didn't tell her what the necklace did," Hermione said.

"I didn't - which means either Claire did it or she told Katie to," Draco urgently replied. "Come on - we need to go."

Harry finished off his beer and placed it over on the coffee table. "I'll come with."

"Me too," James said.

"No - you should stay with your wife," Hermione insisted. "I'm sure it's probably just an accident. Albus is there, after all."

Suddenly, Harby the Elf apparated into the flat looking panicked. "Master must come at once!" Harby shrieked. "Master must come because Master's father is at the house! Master's father thinks Miss Claire is Master's mother! Master must come!"

The blood drained from Draco's face at the sound of Harby uttering the presence of his father. "Come on," Harry said. "Let's go."

"I'm going," James reiterated.

"He's supposed to be in Azkaban," Draco said.

"We'll launch that investigation as soon as we get done with this," Harry said. "Come on."

"Mum, will you stay with Anya, in case she needs something?" James quickly asked

Ginny nodded. "Of course."

Suddenly, the four of them disapparated out of the flat along with the elf, leaving Ginny in the eerie quiet of her son and daughter-in-law's flat."

* * *

><p>Albus, Scorpius, and Leo landed safely in the backyard after a long fly around the Wiltshire country side. All three of them had wind burned cheeks by the time their brooms were put away, and as they came inside, the three of them nearly jumped out of their skin as Draco, Hermione, James, and Harry appeared.<p>

"Where is Katie!" Draco hastily whispered.

Albus shook his head, as did Scorpius and Leo. "We just got back from flying - we left the girls here. What's happening?"

Hermione feigned a smile. "Albus, please take the boys upstairs and stay with them. Ward the room."

"What! No! We're staying," Scorpius stated.

"You're going," Draco demanded, pointing towards the staircase with his wand. "Go. Now."

Knowing better than to argue with a tone like that, he begrudgingly went upstairs, with Leo and Albus following, his wand already out and in his hand. Harby motioned for Draco and Harry to follow them. Quietly, the four of them, all with their wands drawn, crept down the hall, stopping right before the hallway opened up into the front room. He could see Lily standing behind Claire, as she protectively kept an wrapped behind her as she held onto Katie. Lucius was now holding a wand, whose wand it was - no one really knew, but it appeared that Claire was doing her best to keep things calm.

"Lucius, please, you're scaring her," they heard Claire say as Katie began to cry.

"Like I care if the _mudblood_ spawn is scared," Lucius drawled. "We need to teach our son to be _obedient_. He has defied us at every turn since the war ended and it will _no longer_ be tolerated, Cissa. It is one thing to betray the Dark Lord, but it is another to defy his own father."

"Harming an innocent child is not the answer," Claire firmly said. "Draco will never forgive you…and…he will never return to us if you do this!"

Lucius shook his head. "He will return to us, Cissa," his voice drawled. "He will do what you tell him to do. It is up to you to bring our son back Cissa. He will always do what you say."

Draco watched as Claire shook her head. "He will not do as I say. Not if you harm her."

"He will!" Lucius insisted.

James tugged at his father's arm, getting both him and Draco to turn. "I'm going to walk around to the other side and come into the room from the dining room entrance. Claire will see me - he won't. It's not going to look good if either of you are involved so just wait for me. Ok?"

"I'm coming with you," Harry said. "You two stand here. We'll corner him."

Draco nodded, Hermione moving closer to him as the two Potters quietly crept back through the house to come into the front room from a different entrance. Draco and Hermione saw Katie's tear stained cheeks lifting her head up, her eyes going wide at the sight of her parents who both quickly pressed a finger to each of their mouths. Saying nothing, Katie went back to resting her head on her sister's shoulder.

Claire continued to speak reason to Lucius, though that seemed to become a more difficult task as the two conversed. When she saw James peeking around the corner of the dining room, she felt her muscles slightly relax. "Lucius, you're right," she finally said. "You're always right. I will call for Draco, and we will tell him together that we do not approve of his relationship with Her-" she stopped speaking, forcing herself to speak the next part with everything she had. "With the mudblood. We will tell him what he needs to do."

Smiling, which was incredibly creepy in Claire's opinion, Lucius walked towards her and brushed his dry, cracked lips against her cheek, while Katie began to whimper. "You always come around, Cissa," he whispered in her ear.

"Always," Claire replied, her voice shaky as James walked into the room with his wand out.

"Call for Draco," Lucius instructed.

Clearing her throat, Claire took a step back, a hand still on Lily as she stepped back as well. "Draco!" she called out in a mothering tone. "Draco come in here please!"

Sliding his wand inside the sleeve of his shirt, Draco waited a few seconds, and calmly walked into the room, giving Claire a reassuring smile. He looked right at Lily, and nodded towards the stairs. "You can go," he said in a dismissive tone, knowing Lily got the hint as she quickly scampered off towards the staircase. He turned and looked at his father, then back at Claire. "You called, Mother?"

"Your father wishes to speak to you…about your choices," Claire carefully said. She assumed that James hadn't done anything yet because of where Lucius was standing in proximity to them, though she wished it would be over already. "Lucius, if I may take the child -"

"The child stays," Lucius demanded. "I want you to watch me dispose of her, so that you can remember _not_ to make the same _mistake_ again."

The moment everyone realized that there was no way to remove Katie or Claire from the situation, Draco suddenly put himself between Claire, Katie, and his father, and James silently cast an expelliarmus charm, the wand slipping out of Lucius' hands and into the air, which Claire quickly caught.

Hermione walked into the room and summoned her children with a small wave of her hand, which Claire followed as she quickly walked over to Hermione, who ushered them out of the room. She wasn't sure what was going to happen to Lucius, but she also knew she didn't want her daughters to witness it, either. She pulled them into the downstairs drawing room and sealed the door shut, pulling Katie out of Claire's arms so she could hug them both as the three of them collapsed onto the sofa, the two girls sobbing as she consoled them both.

"I'm so sorry!" Claire cried. "I didn't want to call you that word! I didn't! But I said your name earlier and he got angry and I just -"

"It's ok," Hermione reassured Claire. "You were doing what you had to do to keep Katie safe. You were very brave, Claire. So brave…and I'm _so_ proud of you."

"He thought I was Nana Cissa," Claire said through her sobs.

"I know," Hermione whispered, rocking both of them as best as she could.

She looked up at Hermione, and sniffled. "What do you think Dad and Uncle Harry will do to him?"

All Hermione could do was shrug her shoulders, as Katie's cries died down. "I'm not sure, sweetheart. I don't know what you're father will do."

"I thought he was supposed to be in Azkaban for…like ever."

"Well, that's what we thought too," Hermione replied. She looked down at Katie, kissing her forehead as the little girl looked back up at her. "We're having quite a day, aren't we, Katie?"

Katie nodded, her little hands wiping her eyes. "That bad man kept saying a bad word."

"I know."

"Claire calleded him Grandfather."

Hermione gave her daughter a sad nod. "That's because he is, Katie. That's your father's father."

"Why was he so mean?" she asked.

Hermione shook her head. "Because all daddies aren't made the same. Which is very sad, don't you think?"

Katie nodded. "I was scared, Mummy. So scared I couldn't use my magic."

She smiled at her. "It's alright, sweetheart. Claire took good care of you, didn't she?"

Katie nodded again. "She made Daddy come save us. But I don't know how."

Hermione kissed her daughter's forehead again and smiled. "Daddy will explain that to you later, ok?"

"Alright," Katie replied with a sniffle. "Mummy - did you see Claire's outfit? Lily was playing dress up with her and I was the picture takerer."

Laughing, Hermione hugged Katie close and took a good look at Claire. "I did notice her outfit. You look really nice in it, Claire. Very grown up indeed. Stand up so I can take a good look at you." Wiping her nose with her hand, Claire sniffed and stood up, straightening herself out a bit as she did a lackluster turn so Hermione could see the entire outfit. "You look much older than sixteen, that's for sure."

Grinning, Claire wiped a stray tear away from her pink stained cheeks and nodded. "So it meets your approval, even though I look older?"

"Definitely," Hermione said. "Lily has a talent."

"She apparently learned it from Anya."

"I can see that," Hermione replied, noticing the distinct style similarities. "I take it you're going for a new look?"

Claire nodded, swiveling back and forth ever so slightly. "A little bit. There's a bunch of clothes upstairs that I need to get rid of, or donate, or something."

"I'm sure we'll figure something out," Hermione replied, silently cheering that Claire was appearing to grow out of her currently clothing phase and into something more mature, but on the conservative end of the spectrum.

Suddenly, the door to the drawing room slid open, and Draco walked in and immediately crushed Claire into him, hugging her as tight as he ever had, a hand repeatedly stroking the top of her head. "I'm so sorry," he kept saying. "I'm so sorry."

She shook her head and looked up at him as best as she could. "It's ok, Dad. We're all ok."

"Did you use her necklace?"

"I didn't know what else to do. I was too nervous to shout for an elf."

"Harby found me, right after my ring began to burn."

Claire nodded as Draco released his vice hold on her. "What's going to happen to Grandfather?"

Draco shook his head. "We'll discuss it later, alright?"

"Alright," Claire quietly replied. "Can I go upstairs and see Lily?"

"Yes," Draco said. "Harry just went up there after some aurors came to help James take Father to the Ministry. They're going to put him in a holding cell until they can determine how he escaped." He let go of Claire completely and walked over to Hermione, plucking Katie from her lap and hugging her tight. When she pulled away, he picked up the book charm around her necklace and showed it to her. "I didn't tell you yesterday, because I didn't tell your sisters until they were a little bit older, but this is a special necklace. Any time you're in trouble - trouble just like you were today, you take your charm and -"

"You hold it tight!" Katie exclaimed. "That's what Claire did! I sawed her do it!"

"And when you do that, Daddy's ring gets really hot, and when I take it off, it tells me where you are, so Daddy can find you," Draco explained.

Katie nodded as she looked down at her charm. "I'm going to wear my necklace every day," she said. "I like that it's a book charm, Daddy, because I like books."

He nuzzled his nose against hers and laughed at her resilience. He was certain she got it from her mother, because he barely had a quarter's worth of what his four-year-old daughter had in that department. "I know - that's why I chose it. You're my bookworm, Claire's necklace has a crown, because she's my princess, and Anya's necklace has a ballet shoe, because she's my dancer."

"But what do the boys gots?" she asked with concern. "What if they get into trouble? Boys can't wear necklaces, Daddy."

"You know ring each of them wears, just like Daddy?"

She nodded.

"Well, that's a Malfoy ring, and it does the same thing," he promised her. "Why don't you go run off and check on your brothers? I think I may have made Scorpius and Leo worry about you. They'll feel better if you tell them that you're ok."

Nodding, Katie gave Draco a peck on the lips with hers before he put her down, and she ran off to go find her brothers. Hermione looked up at Draco, her head slightly shaking back and forth as he dragged a hand over his face.

"He clearly wasn't in his right mind if he thought Claire was your mother," Hermione stated.

"He had enough of his mind, however, to escape Azkaban," Draco spat. "I told Harry to do it. I told him to just either give him the Kiss or execute him and get it over with. That's what I want. I don't want to go through a trial over this. I just want it to be over and done with."

Hermione bit her lip. "You're certain?"

"After what I just witnessed, yes," Draco said. "He was too close…this was too close." He held his hands out to her and helped pull her up from the couch and into his arms, hugging her close as he sighed. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I don't even know how he got through the wards."

"Those wards are so old," Hermione argued. "And it's not like we ever reinforced them once he left. He was supposed to be locked away. No one is blaming you."

"I'm blaming me."

"You should stop that," Hermione tried to tease, though it fell flat. "Everyone is fine, everyone is safe, and if they go through with giving him the Kiss, he won't be a bother anymore."

"He either gets the Kiss or he dies," Draco bluntly stated. "It's one or the other, Hermione. I don't care which at this point how it goes, but it's one or the other. I won't live through this again. I refuse."

Hermione nodded as she hugged her arms a little tighter around his middle. "I love you," she said with a sigh.

"Merlin only knows why at this point," Draco said, trying a joke of his own that also fell short of a laugh.

She looked up at him and he bent his neck down, just close enough so that his lips could catch hers.

"I love you too," he mumbled before kissing her once more. "I'm just sorry my past keeps coming back at us."

Hermione reached a hand up and gave his cheek a loving caress. "Stop apologizing for things outside of your control."

"Our children are going to need therapy."

"Probably. But who doesn't need therapy these days?"

"That's not funny."

Hermione stood up on her tip toes and kissed him one more time. "Go relieve Ginny of her Anya watch duty," she said. "I'm sure she'll want an update, and then she'll want to check on Lily. You can stay there until James gets back - I'll hold the fort down here."

Draco nodded as he let her go. "Alright."

* * *

><p>When Anya finally woke up, she was somewhat surprised to see her father lying in bed next to her. She still had Hermione's weird pillow wound around her, and she was right - the pillow was magic. "What time is it?" she asked, the room dimly lit by a small nightstand lamp.<p>

"Late," he replied. "Almost nine thirty."

Anya yawned. "Where's my husband?"

"At the Ministry with your grandfather."

"That's nice," Anya said sleepily, before her eyes shot open once more. "Wait. What the hell?"

Draco yawned. "He's lost his mind, but managed to escape Azkaban, came to the house, thought Claire was your grandmother, and wanted to kill Katie. It was a pretty exciting day," he plainly replied.

Propping herself up a bit, Anya stared at her father as if he'd grown a second head. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I wish I was," he said. "But I'm not."

"Jesus Christ," she said with a heavy exhale, lying back down on the bed. "Dad…I mean, everyone's ok, right?"

"For the most part," Draco said. "I'm sure this will go down in the books as the worst holiday break ever for Claire, having been assaulted and then threatened, but I guess it means it can only get better next year."

"You're being awfully flippant," Anya mused aloud.

"It's either flippant or unadulterated rage," Draco retorted.

"Flippant works than," she replied. "When you leave, make sure you tell Hermione that she's never getting this pillow back."

Draco laughed, turning his head so that he could see his daughter. "You definitely slept quite a while. Damn near eight hours. I doubt you'll get any sleep tonight."

"Oh I will," Anya said. "I'm so tired…but I can't remember the last time I slept so great. Merlin knows I won't get any sleep once Jamie arrives." She rubbed a hand on her stomach, and laughed as she felt him kick. "Give me your hand," she said.

He complied, and watched as Anya pressed it into the top of her stomach, and smiled when he felt his grandson kick once, twice, then three times. "He packs quite a punch there, doesn't he?"

"It never ends," Anya replied. "I swear sometimes, he just does somersaults so he can be sure to kick me everywhere. His feet are never in the same place for very long."

"Hey you," Draco whispered as he moved closer to his daughter's stomach. "Grandpa says that you should be nicer to your mother."

He got a kick in response, which caused him and Anya both to laugh. "Clearly he's inherited his mother's stubborn streak."

Anya gasped in mock indignation. "Me? Stubborn? Never!"

"Never," Draco repeated with a laugh.

Yawning once more, Anya continued her snuggle with the S shaped pillow. "Are you going to stay here until James gets back?"

Draco nodded, but saw that her eyes were closed. "Yes."

"Ok," she mumbled. Silence filled the room for several moments, before she reached out blindly and grabbed her father's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry about Grandfather," she whispered.

He sighed. "Don't be. He had it coming."

"He's still your father," she mumbled. "You can still be sad."

"I know."

"No one will think less of you."

Draco leaned over and kissed his daughter's cheek. "Go back to sleep, YaYa."

"Already halfway there," she mumbled. "Love you, Dad."

"Love you too," he said replied.

He climbed out of his daughter's bed, shutting the light off and the door behind him as he went to wait for James to arrive in the living room. Grabbing the television clicker, he turned on the television, flicking through the channels until he found the sports station, which was showing a football game from earlier that week. About fifteen or so minutes passed before he heard the faint sound of an apparition pop. He sat up, expecting to see James, but instead found Hermione, dressed in her fleece pajama pants and a thin, long sleeved thermal top, looking at him with a concerned smile.

"What are you doing here?" he quickly asked. "Who's with the children?"

"Albus is," Hermione said. She budged him over slightly with a nudge of her leg, sitting down at the end of the couch, silently laughing as Draco's head plopped back down on her lap. "Harry just came by to get Ginny and Lily – he said James will be back within the hour. He's just wrapping up some paperwork."

Draco nodded, sighing as he felt Hermione's hand reach around him, her hand open as she let it rest against the part of his chest that covered his heart. He placed a hand of his over hers and closed his eyes. "What did they decide do?" he quietly asked.

She stayed silent for a moment, brushing a hand through his hair and sighed. "They gave him the Kiss. Despite not being of sound mind…the threat he made against Katie was enough to justify it. I'm sorry, Draco."

Shrugging, Draco swallowed the lump threatening to rise in his throat. He'd be dammed before allowing himself to become emotional over a man who quite possibly never cared about him. He couldn't, however, get the image out of his mind of his father standing there, with a wand pointed at Claire and Katie. He knew one thing was for sure – and that he didn't give Claire enough credit in the nerves of steel department. What he saw from Claire he would have immediately expected from Anya. Claire was different. Or she was at least. It was hard though for him at times to see Claire as an older teenager, nearly of age, instead of his princess loving, tiara wearing little girl she used to be for the longest time.

"What are you thinking about?" Hermione asked after a few silent moments had passed.

He rolled over so that he was on his back, looking up at Hermione. "Nothing important," he promised. His ankles hung over the opposite end of the couch, and as he realized this, he couldn't help but laugh.

Hermione looked at him, a bit confused. "What's so funny?"

"This," he said, motioning with a hand between the two of them. "Us. In your old flat. Which is now our daughter and son-in-law's flat. How many nights did we sit here like this?"

Smiling, Hermione slouched down a bit, propping the heels of her feet onto coffee table. "Too many to count," she fondly replied.

He picked up her hand from his chest and moved it to his mouth, pressing a warm kiss against her open palm. "I can't tell you how many nights we sat here, and then right before I would leave, all I wanted to do was stay."

"I can't tell you how many times I wish you would have asked," Hermione confessed. "But then I was glad you never did, because I don't know if I would have been able to tell you no."

Draco pulled himself upright and turned to face his soon-to-be wife, a title that was much overdue, and picked up her legs, swinging them towards him as Hermione was now slouched down against the arm rest of the couch. He crawled up towards her, holding himself up with the hands that were sinking into the cushions of the couch. "I was in love with you long before Astoria asked you to move into my house."

"Me too," she quietly confessed.

"You were?"

Hermione nodded. She slid over slightly so Draco could fall next to her, moving so that she was pinned against the back of the couch on her side, rolling over slightly so that she could prop herself up against Draco, dropping one of her legs in between his. "I just knew I could never acknowledge it, so I settled for being your friend, because it was better than not being your friend – especially after my divorce."

Draco smiled as he slid a hand up the back of her shirt, lightly rubbing circles against the small of her back. "My friend, eh? When did you decide I was your friend?"

"We were kind of friends, you know, or acquaintances really, once you and Harry had kids, but I knew we were actually friends when you came to help me move out of my house," Hermione told him, her chin propped up on the top of her hand that lay flat against the upper part of Draco's chest. "I thought I was ready to just get my things and go but when we got there with Harry, I just…I froze. I knew there was no going back, not that I wanted to go back, but once we started moving things, everything would become more real, and less of a nightmare," she explained. "And Harry…he was jammed between a rock and a hard place, and he didn't know what to do with me…neither of them ever really knew what to do with me when I was _that_ upset…but you just took over and once that happened, I just felt relief – relief that this wasn't going to fall right on my shoulders. That someone else was going to take care of this, and that it would all be ok."

He kissed her forehead and tightened the arm he had around her waist, his fingertips dragging faint lines against the middle of her back. "Sometimes, especially when things with Astoria and I were borderline nuclear, you were the only person who could make me feel better."

Hermione chuckled. "I remember when you told me I was your best friend. You remember that?"

"I do," Draco replied softly. "I meant it, too. Despite how cavalier I was trying to be about it."

She moved her head and looked up at him. Scooting herself slightly, she shimmied so that she was at eye level with him and bit her lip. "I decided it was ok to slowly open the box I kept tucked away with all of my feelings I had for you that day."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Why?"

"Because I knew you were telling the truth," Hermione replied. "And you were already my best friend as well."

Draco rolled his eyes and scoffed. "You're such a rubbish liar. Everyone knows the great Hermione Granger has _one_ best friend and his name is Harry Potter."

She shook her head. "Harry is my brother," Hermione said, her lips descending down to his. "But you," she mumbled, kissing him softly. "You are my _best_ friend."

He kissed her again, slowly as their lips had no desire to break away. But sounds of keys jingling in the doorway pulled them both upright on the couch, standing up completely as James made his way inside the flat. "Is she still sleeping?" he asked.

Draco nodded. "She woke up for a little bit, but went right back to sleep."

James dropped his keys in the dish on a shelf by the door and peeled away his coat, sloppily tossing it in the vicinity of the coat rack as a hook managed to snag enough of the fabric to keep it from falling to the floor in a heap. "I take it Aunt Hermione filled you in."

Hermione slipped her arms around Draco's waist and nodded. "I did."

James frowned. "Right. I'm sorry, Draco."

"Don't be sorry, James," Draco stated. "You helped me avoid a serious catastrophe today and for that I will be forever grateful."

"Make no mistake, Draco," James said. "I love your family. If I can ever help it, I won't ever let anything happen to any of them."

Draco smiled at his son-in-law. "I know you won't. I'm quite grateful for that as well."

The trio bid each other good night, and James headed down the hallway to his room, eager to crawl in bed with his wife to see how she was feeling. Before he opened the door, he turned back and looked down the hallway, looking at his aunt and his father-in-law. His hand gripped the doorknob as he watched Draco tug a curl from Hermione's ponytail, and stifled a laugh as Hermione playfully swatted Draco's chest. Draco caught Hermione's arm, however, and pulled her close, laying a searing kiss onto her lips. As the two broke away, James could see through the shadows the grin on Hermione's face, and the look of complete adoration on Draco's as he kept a hold of her hand to apparate her out of the flat.

There weren't a whole lot of things James was absolutely convinced about in life, and he blamed this on Anya's general brand of cynicism that had managed to brush off on him over the years. He did know, however, that if he could managed to love his wife half as much as Draco and Hermione loved each other, the two of them would always be alright, regardless of what their future had in store.


	36. Chapter 36

_**I hope you enjoy - a little more D/H to appease those who feel I've strayed away ;) **_

* * *

><p>In the next few days, after a thorough investigation of how Draco's father managed to escape Azkaban, it was realized that he managed the escape himself with a little help from Daphne Greengrass, who over the years managed to somehow start a physical relationship with one of the guards. Early on the day of Lucius' appearance, Daphne managed to get her lover's wand from him, stun him, sneak out of her cell and freed Lucius. She gave him the wand she snatched from the guard and watched as he evaporated, leaving a trail of black smoke as he flew away from the prison.<p>

This of course, landed Daphne in solitary confinement, with guards that were hand picked by Harry Potter himself to keep watch over her. She didn't appear to be as unhinged as Lucius was, but confessed that over the years, Lucius' mind had begun to wander, often managing to "live" in two different periods of time at the same time. Had she had some remorse for her part in his escape, she might have managed to avoid solitary confinement, but it was quickly apparent that her only regret was getting caught.

* * *

><p>On the sixth night of Katie's screams echoing throughout the mansion in the middle of the night, Draco realized his daughter might not be as resilient as he previously thought. Sure, he was quick to launch out of bed the moment he heard her, but Hermione was like a firebolt, off the bed and the door before his eyes could blink twice. By the fourth time, however, he waited for Hermione to return to the room with a terrified Katie in his arms, and soon his little girl was snuggled right up against his chest, only taking a few minutes before she fell back to sleep. Tonight seemed to be no different than the others.<p>

Hermione lightly brushed her hand over her daughter's head, lying close to her and Draco as she sighed. "Maybe you're right," she said. "Maybe we should remove her memory."

This was Draco's suggestion the first night, as Katie's screams terrified the elves and caused Harby to go into a full out panic attack because he was guilty about being too frightened to stop Lucius before he came to get him from James and Anya's flat. He had to find Vexo to smack the panic attack out of him - literally.

"We can ask her in the morning," Draco whispered. Hermione's argument against removing her memory was at that moment; Draco wanted to do it without her consent. He of course, countered back with the fact that she was four, so how much consent could she really give if they were her parents and they agreed to do it. For him, that was all the consent he needed. But Hermione shook her head, not wanting to alter her daughter's memory without her understanding what they were doing. He almost asked her how much Hermione thought Katie would understand, but swallowed that remark, because he knew that she'd tell him Katie was obviously smarter than most children her age - which she was - and that she would understand more than he realized.

He was surprised, however, when Hermione shook her head and turned back towards her nightstand, pulling her wand out of the drawer along with a small phial.

"Why in the name of all that is holy would you have a phial in your nightstand?" he asked.

"Because sometimes I would remember something when I was writing those books, and I didn't want to forget them, so I'd duplicate the memory and store it so I could review them in the pensive later," Hermione said a bit defensively.

He shook his head as Hermione sat up in the bed. "You're sure you want to do this?"

"She's too little to have these sorts of terrors," Hermione said with a sad sigh. "And the sleeping draught is clearly not working. I'm not going to destroy the memory. I'll just preserve it, and when she's older, if she wants, we'll put it back. Unless you've changed your mind?"

Draco shook his head no. "You were just…adamantly against me doing it the other night - I just wanted to be sure."

He watched as she began to tear up, furiously blinking tears away as her breath caught in her throat. "She's my baby, Draco," she all but cried. "And I can't stand it. I just can't."

"Alright," he said, reaching his free hand over to calm her down, as his other arm was preoccupied, wrapped underneath Katie as she hugged his hand to her small chest. "Just do it, Hermione."

Pointing her wand at her daughter's temple, Hermione's voice was barely above a whisper as she muttered the _legilimens_ incantation. Her eyes closed, she could see herself sifting through Katie's mind, almost impressed with the mass of memories she had for someone who was four and a half, as Katie corrected them the other day at dinner. _My birthday is six months from now_, she said. _And there's twelve months in a year. So I'm four and a half now. _It didn't take long for Hermione to find the memory she was looking for, her skin prickling with goose pimples as she began to relive the experience of being at the wrong end of a wand held by Lucius Malfoy. Now that she had it, she reached ahold of it with her magic, and as she opened her eyes, she slowly pulled her wand away from Katie's temple, a bluish silver strand following the end of her wand until she held the entire memory. Carefully, she placed it in the phial and sealed it tight with a cork. After putting her wand and the phial back into her nightstand drawer, Hermione turned to look at her daughter again, and could already see by the look on her sleeping face that she was much more peaceful, which lifted the weight she had on her heart. "See if you can't put her back to bed," Hermione suggested.

Draco nodded, carefully scooping Katie up in his arms before he climbed out of bed, carrying her in a cradle hold as he exited the bedroom. When he returned, he found his wife curled up on her side of the bed, hugging her pillow. He noticed her stuttered breathing and climbed back into bed, kicking his cold feet under the warm covers and pulled Hermione over to him, spooning her backside as he kissed her shoulder. "She'll understand," he promised.

"I know," she replied, sniffling slightly. "I've removed some of my own memories. I know she won't really notice."

"Really?"

She nodded. "From the night at the Manor." Sniffling, Hermione felt Draco's muscles tense and sighed. "I remember being tortured," she told him. "But I removed the memory of what it _felt_ like. That's what I did to Katie. I didn't take away the memory per say - I just removed the feeling." Without removing his arms that had a firm hold around her, she managed to turn over so that she was facing him, burying her face into his chest as she allowed the smell of him to calm her nerves.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

Draco sighed, his hands roaming the backside of the shirt she slept in. He rolled back over to his back and pulled the covers up over the two of them as Hermione's head moved to the middle of his chest with her arms snaked around his middle. "I'm sorry…you had to remove your memories."

She shook her head against his chest. "You know how I feel about you apologizing for that."

"I know," he said with a tired drawl. "I just…I'm sorry."

"I know you are," she whispered. "Let's just go back to sleep. I love you."

"Mmhmm," he hummed, closing his heavy eyelids. "Love you too."

* * *

><p>"You really are the most wonderful wife ever."<p>

Anya looked over at James as she tugged her plum covered sweater dress down, slipping her swollen feet into similarly colored flats. Sitting down on the bed, she bent over to the side as best as she could to straighten out a place on her black tights that felt twisted, before dropping her leg back down to the floor with a thud. James approached her where she sat on the bed and took a seat next to her.

"My mum is really excited about going to lunch with you."

"I'm sure she is," Anya said, not doing well at hiding her lack of enthusiasm.

"I already made her promise not to talk about a list of things," James added for good measure.

Anya laughed. "Like that's going to work with your mother."

James laughed as well. "I know, but it's worth a shot."

She leaned towards him, dropping her head on his shoulder as she sighed. "I just want your mum and me to get along again. "I've always loved your mother. But ever since we told them about getting married and having a baby, I feel like she's just been different."

James couldn't agree more, which was why he thought it would be nice if the two of them had a little brunch date – just the two of them – so they could talk to each other. It took a patient person to be stuck in the middle of Ginny Potter and Anya Malfoy, to which James believed he managed fairly well before he and Anya were married. But now he was stuck between his mother and his wife, and he wasn't sure how much more he could take before picking a side caused Wizarding War Three.

The owner of Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor had opened up a small bistro inside, which served breakfast and lunch. It was a welcomed addition to the shops of Diagon Alley when it officially opened two years ago, and much like the new owner did when he took over Fortescue's after Florean Fortescue was viciously killed by Death Eaters during the lead up to the war, he left the name the same, and carried it over to the new bistro - appropriately named Fortescue's Bistro. With Harry as the Minister of Magic, Ginny's security detail always put up a fuss when she wandered into Muggle London without at least a weeks worth of notice.

James drove the two of them over to the Muggle entrance of the Leaky Cauldron and parked along a side street. Anya wasn't up for apparating anymore, and both of them preferred to avoid the floo network with possible, because the soot would cause James to sneeze for hours upon end. Like a proper gentleman, James held the door open for his wife, following her as they meandered through the pub to the Diagon Alley entrance. Hand in hand the two of them walked at Anya's slow pace down the cobblestoned street. Halfway down to Fortescue's, the two of them spotted Teddy, his teal colored hair peeking out from underneath his Weasley knit hat.

"Is this your entertainment while I'm at brunch?" Anya teased James.

"We're ring shopping," he said, squeezing her mitten clad hand. "He figures if he's going to propose when Victoire finishes school, he ought to have a ring."

"Learning from your mistakes?" she teased again.

James playfully rolled his eyes. "It worked out for me in the end."

"It certainly did," she agreed.

"Hey guys!" Teddy called out, jogging the rest of the way towards him. "How's the vessel for my favorite nephew doing?"

Anya gave him an unruly swat on the arm. "You git! Did you just refer to me as a vessel!"

"I thought it was better than referring you as the uterus rental," Teddy retorted, earning him another swat. "Hey! That hurts!"

She hit him one more time for good measure. "Ass."

"Violent one, this is," Teddy said to James.

"You inflict this upon yourself, you know," James said with a snort.

Teddy laughed. "Too true."

The three of them trekked the rest of the short walk into Fortescue's, finding Ginny already inside, eagerly waving at the three of them from her small table for two. James pulled out the chair for his wife and helped her shed her coat so that she could sit down comfortably. He then walked over and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, which she returned, before doing the same to Teddy.

"I thought Albus was going to be with you guys today," Ginny said.

Teddy shrugged. "Me too - but he said he was headed over to the Malfoys."

Ginny frowned. "He's kind of been a homebody since he's returned, either at their house or ours. I know he's upset about Grace saying no -"

"I don't think it has anything to do with being sad about Grace," Teddy said with a slight chuckle.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, Mother," Teddy replied, giving her another kiss on the cheek.

James pecked Anya on the lips, then kissed her forehead for good measure. "Have fun - we'll be back in a bit."

Ginny eyed the two of them. "Where you going?"

"Nowhere," they said in tandem.

"Boys…"

James huffed at his mother. "If you _must_ know, I'm off to buy some baby things so that I can feel like I've made a contribution to the massive piles of baby things in our flat."

"And naturally, I've decided to help perpetuate the problem," Teddy added.

Ginny smiled, as Anya ducked her head down, staring at her bulging belly as she tried not to laugh. She didn't blame the two of them for lying to Ginny. If she knew they were ring shopping, she would have questioned Teddy nine ways to Sunday as to why he was waiting so long, considering they'd been together longer than she and James had been. Those two became glued at the hip when he was five and she was four. There was the most adorable photo in Molly Weasley's house on the mantle of Teddy and Victoire at Teddy's sixth birthday party. Teddy was sitting at the kitchen table, with his birthday cake and candles lit, with an adorable, bashful face as Victoire kissed his cheek. It was positively darling.

As the boys bid their farewells, a waiter came over, took their orders, and finally, Ginny and Anya were left alone.

"How have you been feeling?" Ginny asked, breaking the silence first.

"Better, now that I've been able to get some sleep," Anya truthfully answered. "It really is nice being back in our flat."

Ginny nodded, moving her hands back as the waiter returned with their drinks - a coffee for her and a tall glass of water for Anya. "Hermione never ceases to amaze me with her muggle things - like that silly pillow! I swear they've got something for everything! I understand my father's infatuation with Muggles and muggle things more and more now that I'm older."

"Well they have to have something for everything - they don't have magic," Anya replied with a laugh.

"This is true," Ginny agreed with a chuckle. "I'm sure you're ready though for the baby to be here."

She gave her mother-in-law an exaggerated nod. "I'm ready to breathe normally again, and ready to be able to bend over without feeling like I will just somersault onto my back."

"That's probably the worst part of it all at the end, aside from the lack of sleep -"

"And the horrendous heartburn," Anya added.

Ginny gleefully clapped her hands. "That means he probably has a ton of hair - I had heartburn with all three of my kids and they came out with mops on their heads. Your mum had heartburn with you too, but not so much with Claire and Scorpius. They had these little fuzz ball heads, but you, I mean, you had a bow clipped in your hair quite securely when we all left St. Mungo's." She leaned back in her chair and gave Anya a warm smile. "I actually bought you the bow you wore home. You already know your mum and I spent a lot of time together, pregnant and alone with our husbands out on missions."

Anya took a drink of her water, swallowing as she gave Ginny a nod.

"Hermione and I spent ten minutes in the gift shop at St. Mungo's before your mum and I were discharged, Hermione wheeling me around in the wheelchair, and we bought out every bow in the store, and then went right back upstairs to your mum's room. We must have spent an hour dressing you up."

"You're barking!" Anya exclaimed with a genuine laugh.

"I'm not," Ginny replied with a smile. "It was probably the first time we'd been with her without her parents or Draco's parents in the room, and so there was no one there judging her, scowling with disapproval because she couldn't control that you came out as a girl."

She reached over and grabbed a piece of bread from the basket sitting between the two of them, and pulled apiece away. "It's been ten years, you know. Ten years today."

Ginny nodded. "It's hard to believe it's been that long."

"I know." Anya said, popping a piece of bread into her mouth. "I've been thinking about her a lot, obviously, once I got pregnant." Picking off another bite, she rolled the piece of bread around, smashing it into a ball before putting it into her mouth. "And I just…I just want you to know, Ginny, that I know you've been feeling left out. James told me about it and it was never our intention - honest." Sighing, she looked up at her mother-in-law and dropped her shoulders a bit.

"And I know that you two are independent - you especially," Ginny confessed. "I just get excited, and lack any ability to hide disappointment. I feel just awful that you two eloped because you didn't think we couldn't pull off a small wedding."

"It wasn't just that," Anya said. "I mean, it was a big part of it, along with my batch of issues…but everything about our existences is just so public. In the Wizarding world, James is famous for his family, and I'm infamous for mine. Dad always says they're two different things, and he hates being known for the latter. In the Muggle world, I'm famous for ballet, and it's overwhelming because I refuse to do interviews, which only makes Muggle paparazzi pry even harder - and let me tell you what - Rita Skeeter has _nothing_ on Muggle paparazzi. They're fucking crazy."

Ginny nodded as she picked up her coffee mug to take a drink. "James has told me some stories."

"It's horrifying sometimes," Anya said. "The other day, there was a picture of me grocery shopping - and I never saw them. Not once. Rita Skeeter and her crew have all the abilities in the world to conceal themselves, yet you can always spot them. Muggle paparazzi, though, when they want to be, are frightening stealthy." She ate the remainder of the bread she held in her hand, washing it down with a drink of her water before speaking again. "James has always respected that I am a private person, and I just…I wanted to marry my best friend in a place that was special for us, and in a way that didn't take away from the fact that it had nothing to do with anyone else, but everything to do with us."

Swallowing her pride, Ginny reacted with a reassuring look and a nod of her head. "I do feel terrible, still, about how I reacted to your wedding news."

"Water under the bridge," Anya promised. "It's not like we helped, keeping it a secret and all."

"And I'm sorry if, well, my excitement for becoming a grandmother has been overwhelming for you guys," Ginny said. "When I really sat down and thought about how it was like when I was ready to have James…well, Harry reminded me that there was more than one moment where I thought I was going to kill my mother during that time."

Anya giggled at Ginny's confession, as Ginny smiled, stifling a laugh of her own. "Sometimes, you intimidate me," Anya confided. "You've always been this super mum - and well, we all know what I got - and I know that Hermione has more than made up for it in ways, but sometimes, I think about you, and how James adores you, and that I'm afraid that I won't live up to the expectation…that I won't be the mother to my son that you were to him."

"If I tell you something, do you promise not to internalize it, and just take it for what it's worth?" Ginny asked.

"Ginny, you should know I can make no such promise," Anya replied with a snort.

She reached across the small table that separated them, and grabbed one of her hands. "You are your mother's daughter." When Ginny felt Anya's hand automatically start to recoil, she held on tight and looked her right in the eye and continued. "You are stunningly beautiful, you have a grace about you that cannot be taught to others - barring moments when the fuse of your temper has been burned to the end of the line, and you're incredibly passionate about the things you love. Your mother had these same qualities." She gave Anya's hand a squeeze. "You inherited the best parts about your mother. And lucky for you - Hermione rounded out the rest."

Anya gave an indifferent sort of nod, biting her lips together as she squeezed Ginny's hand.

"And I see how you are with your siblings, and with my own daughter," Ginny continued. "You don't need to worry about what kind of mother you'll be. I know you'll be brilliant."

"That's what Hermione said."

"And when is Hermione _ever_ wrong?" Ginny asked with a quirk of her lips.

Anya gave a halfhearted laugh. "Never."

"It's a bit annoying isn't it?" Ginny teased.

"Only when it isn't in your favor," Anya remarked. "Which is always."

Ginny squeezed Anya's hand again once more before letting go. "I really do promise to try to not smother you two. It was really never my intention."

"I know," Anya said. "And I promise to try to be less…well, me. I don't mean to be standoffish towards you and Harry - you two have always been wonderful to me and I cannot - I do not know how I could ever convey that to either of you."

"Well, that's because we love you, Anya. We always have."

* * *

><p>Strolling down the hall, Draco walked past Claire's room, stopped, whipped himself around, and walked back to her door. Claire was lying in bed, watching a movie, and none other than Albus Potter was <em>lying<em> in bed with her. Katie was snuggled in between them, a big bowl of popcorn setting between her crisscrossed legs. Instead of heading down towards the kitchen, he made a beeline for the study. "Granger!" he shouted a few feet before he reached the door. "Granger!"

Working on some edits, as Harry's autobiography was nearly complete, Hermione put down her quill and leaned back in the large leather chair and waited for Draco to appear. "You bellowed?" she asked as he walked in, hastily shutting the door behind him.

"Albus Potter."

"What about him."

"Is laying in my sixteen-year-old daughter's bed."

"She turned seventeen in October, Draco."

His eyes went wide. "_Not_ making me feel _better_!"

Hermione could hardly contain her laugh.

Draco's nostrils flared. "This is unacceptable. Unacceptable!"

"They're watching a movie, Draco," she stated. "And it's a movie Katie picked out - so it's either _Mary Poppins_ or _Bedknobs and Broomsticks_. Besides - why do you think I sent Katie in there?" She walked past Claire's room about an hour ago, and the two of them were again, lying in bed - on top of the covers - just talking and watching television. Assuming Draco would have a full blown stroke had he seen the two of them in there, she told Katie to put on her best 'do what I want because I'm Katie' face, and then make them watch a movie. Katie was instantaneously successful at this request. Albus, much like James, was a sucker for Katie.

She stood out of sight and watched Katie in action as she slowly walked around the bed to where Albus was and pouted her lip out just a bit. _"Will you watch a movie with me Al?" she asked. "I never gets to see you anymore." _

"_But Katie, I'm back now." _

"_I know…but I never get to do anything with you. And Claire's home, and I never get to do anything with Claire until summer and I hate it. But don't tell Mummy I said hate." _

_Claire laughed as Albus leaned towards Katie. "Well, Katie, what do you want to do?" _

"_Watch a movie?" she suggested, just a little bit pitifully. "And eat popcorn…with extra butter." _

"_We can watch a movie in here," Claire offered. "Albus can go make us popcorn." _

"_Ok!" Katie exclaimed, perking right back up the moment she got her way. "I'll pick out a movie!" _

"And just so you know," Hermione said to Draco as she stood up from her chair. "With Katie's earlier performance, she may have put Slytherin House in the running. You would have been proud of her - she was quite cunning."

Draco didn't crack a smile. "I'm being completely serious about this. He's what, twenty-one now? This is not appropriate."

"They're just friends, Draco," Hermione reasoned. "Albus isn't an idiot. He's just coming off his breakup with Grace, Claire's got her own set of issues - they aren't going to do anything stupid - especially considering that Albus is returning to Hogwarts as a _teacher_." She slipped her arms around her tense fiancé's waist and looked up at him. "Trust your daughter, Draco."

"Isn't that what you said to me right before you showed the other daughter how to make a contraception potion?"

"I figured if she was going to attempt to brew it, she may as well brew it right," Hermione countered. "And we trusted them with it, and oddly enough, it worked. They were well out of school _and_ married before they decided to bestow a grandchild upon us."

Draco shook his head. "Claire's not Anya. She's different."

"I think if we've learned _anything_ about Claire since she's come home for break, it's that she's got a good head on her shoulders when the situation calls for it," Hermione argued. "So trust her."

He dropped his shoulders and made a face. "It's not that I don't trust her," he said to Hermione. "You know how I feel about Claire."

This was true - Claire was different - the ultimate Daddy's girl. Anya was independent and his partner in crime, Katie was obsessed with both of her parents quite equally, but Claire - from the moment she came into this world - only had eyes for Draco. No one was better, and no one was more aware of this than Hermione. She stood up on her tiptoes and pecked his lips. "Trust your daughter, Draco," she gently told him.

"It's not my daughter that I don't trust."

"Albus Potter isn't an idiot."

"All boys are idiots, Hermione. We don't know any other way to be. And we certainly don't grow out of it, either."

Hermione laughed. "Clearly speaking from experience."

"Exactly!" Draco exclaimed. "I'm going to talk to him."

"I really don't think that's necessary."

"I think it's _incredibly_ necessary."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine, Draco. If you really think it's necessary to talk to him, do it. Talk to him."

"I will!"

"Fine."

Silence filled the study. Hermione went back to her editing, picking up her quill and dipping it into the inkwell before resuming her place. Draco paced for a few moments while Hermione jotted down notes and corrections. "Wait a second," he finally said in an accusatory manner. "You're tricking me, aren't you?"

She didn't even bother looking up from her editing. "Tricking you how, Draco?"

"By being all…Hermione Granger like."

"I can't be all 'Hermione Granger' like because I am, in fact, Hermione Granger."

"You're trying to get me to not talk to Albus."

Hermione shook her head as she dipped her quill again, dabbing the excess against a scratch piece of parchment. "I told you - if it will make you feel better to talk to him then talk to him."

Draco shook his head. "But you really mean don't talk to him."

"Draco, I never say anything that I don't mean," she told him, looking up at him with an arched eyebrow. "If it will make you feel better - talk to him - but for Merlin's sake if you're not going to talk to him, don't spend the next thirty minutes unspooling about it. Make a decision and stick with it."

He paced for a few more minutes, then stopped and stared at Hermione once more. "I'm not going to talk to him."

"Ok."

"Because I trust Claire."

"Of course you do."

"Which is why I'm _not_ going to talk to him."

"Sounds like a plan, sweetheart."

He walked out of the office without another word, leaving the door open in his wake. Hermione sat there, shook her head, laughed, and went back to her book editing. "Works every time."

* * *

><p>"What's your fancy today, Mr. Potter?"<p>

"Um, can I have that bouquet of daisies up there?"

"Certainly - that'll be one galleon and seven sickles."

James traded his wizard money for the bouquet from the flower street vendor. Teddy tucked away his purchase in the inside pocket of his coat while he waited for his brother. "I thought the anniversary was tomorrow," he said as the began to walk away."

"No - it's definitely today," James said, holding the bouquet at the base of the stems. "Though I have to tell you - I thought this morning was going to be awful, with her pregnancy hormones and everything, but it wasn't."

Teddy laughed. "Do you think she's saving it for later?"

"There's always that possibility," James half joked. "It's much better than it used to be though."

"Can I ask a stupid question?"

"Have you ever asked permission before?"

Teddy smacked his brother upside the head. "Funny."

"I thought so."

"Anyway," he continued, ignoring the jab. "Why do you think she lets her mother affect her like she does?"

James shrugged. "I think it just boils down to the fact that all Anya wanted was her mother to be a mother, and when Astoria finally figured it out, it was for the wrong reasons and ultimately too late." He nodded towards the Magical Menagerie and the two veered towards the shop entrance. "You said you needed owl treats, right?"

Teddy nodded. "I mean, I get sad you know, from time to time, when I think about my parents. I didn't even know them. All I know about them are stories and pictures. At least she has actual memories of Astoria."

"I'm not sure she'd count that as a positive," James said as he opened the door for a couple of patrons who were getting ready to exit as he and Teddy entered. It didn't take long for Teddy to pick up some treats, and while he did, James stared at the various baby owls ready to be owned. Most of them were various shades of brown and black, but there was one that caught his eye - a snowy white bird with a smattering of black at the ends of its feathers. It looked just like the picture of the owl his dad had in his office on a shelf, sitting next to a frame of him and his parents when he was baby. "Hey Teddy - come look."

His purchase in hand, he walked over to James and followed his brother's pointed finger to the white owl. "Doesn't that look just like Hedwig?"

Teddy admired the bird for a moment. "Yeah…it does actually."

"Too bad Dad will never own another white owl," James said.

"Well, when the owl manages to be your best friend while your summers are spent in perpetual hell, I can see why he wouldn't," Teddy said. "Mum always said there were very few moments where she saw Dad completely upset - and his owl…on top of Uncle George's ear when they brought him back to the Burrow was one of them."

James had heard the same story from his mother as well. Sometimes James felt bad, knowing how he grew up and then thinking about his dad grew up. He told his dad that once, and was quickly dismissed with a smile from his dad.

"_You shouldn't feel bad about that, son."_

"_But I do!" twelve-year-old James protested. "It's not fair." _

_Harry ruffled his hair and laughed. "Life isn't fair sometimes, James. But you know, there's a reason why your mother and I work hard and do what we do for you. You're right - I had an awful childhood. And your mother - she grew up in a house with six brothers, which made finances hard sometimes. We do for you what we didn't have, and we don't do it because we feel bad about what we didn't have - we do it because that's what parents are supposed to do. Parents are supposed to make a better life for their children." _

James glanced down at his watch. "We better go rescue Mum and Anya from each other."

Teddy chuckled. "You know what I find funny about Mum and Anya?"

"What's that?"

The two of them walked out of the Magical Menagerie and towards Fortescue's. "That the two of them are practically the same person."

James rolled his eyes. "They are not even close!"

"Bull shit!" Teddy exclaimed with a laugh. "Mum is strong willed, hard headed, fiercely protective about those she loves the most, and an overwhelming force to be reckoned with. Anya's the _exact_ same way." He draped an arm around his brother's shoulder and hugged him. "Face it. You married Mum."

"Shut up, Teddy."

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing!" Teddy added with a laugh as he let his brother go. "I'm just saying, there's a reason why those two can butt heads - and it's because at the end of the day - neither will cave. If ever anyone could keep up _and outlast_ a Ginny Weasley Potter standoff - it's your wife."

James laughed. "You have a point there."

"And let's be honest - she's always been headstrong - and you secretly love it."

"I do," James admitted with a chuckle. "Oh - and speaking of my wife - I need you to do me a favor."

"Name it," Teddy said.

The two of them stopped right in front of the window at Fortescue's and from the outside, could see Anya and Ginny finishing up their brunch, laughing and having a good time - which released a weight off of James' shoulder. "I need you to talk to Albus about Claire."

Teddy laughed, shaking his head. "Why don't you do it?"

"Because I don't know what it is," James said. "I tried asking him the other day, he shut down…and I don't know. I don't know if he's still upset about Grace. I don't know if he even likes Claire in that way. But he won't talk to me about it - and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that her sister is my wife - and to be honest - if he does like her - it's safer for everyone if I know nothing -"

"Because you have no ability to lie to your wife," Teddy stated with a smirk.

"Would you lie to my wife?"

"Probably not," Teddy said. "But if I have to - I know I'll be better at it than you. I'll talk to him. See what's in his head."

James sighed. "Thanks," he said. "Oh - and if Claire is in his head, please remind him that she is still in school, and that Draco Malfoy will _obliterate_ his general existence if he even _thinks_ about Claire in any sort of way that could be interpreted as inappropriate. And that's if my wife doesn't get to him first."

Teddy smirked. "Is that what happened for you?"

"Oh God no," James said. "I mean, he was a little intimidating, and then there was that brief moment where I though there was a chance that I could _possibly_ become severely maimed when he found out that Anya and I had sex but luckily Aunt Hermione saved me. But what I endured will be nothing compared to what will be endured by the man who attempts to court Claire Malfoy. She has different rules."

The two of them walked into the cafe side of Fortescue's and made their way to the table, snagging empty chairs from a nearby table and pulling it up to Ginny and Anya's, the girls excited to see them both. "Did you accomplish your tasks?" Anya asked as James pulled his chair close to his.

"We did," James said, handing her the daisies. "How are you feeling?"

Anya nodded. "I feel fine." She leaned over and gave him a kiss for the flowers. James wasn't one to give flowers a lot - mainly because before now, neither were ever home long enough to enjoy them before they died - but he always bought her daisies on this day. "They're beautiful," she said as she pulled away. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"You two ladies behaving yourselves?" Teddy asked with a glint of his eye.

"Of course we are," Ginny said. "We've had a wonderful time, haven't we?"

Anya nodded. "We have. Your mother has given me quite a few tips that I'm sure will prove to be helpful in the coming days."

"You've been saying that you've been feeling 'fine' for the past two days, you know" James quietly spoke to Anya. "You sure you're ok?"

Anya shifted slightly in her chair. "As fine as I can be…you know, considering I'm the size of a house."

Ginny scuffed Anya's remarks. "You are not the size of a house - in fact - you're fairing pregnancy much better than I ever did. Each time I swelled up everywhere. My hands, my feet, and my face - I looked like I was a balloon. You're just all belly."

"That's what he says," Anya said, jerking her head in James' direction.

"You really can't tell you're pregnant from behind either," Ginny added. "That was not the same story with me, I can tell you that."

Anya gave Ginny a smile. "There's a picture of you in our flat from when you were pregnant with James - you were not swollen."

Ginny looked over at her son. "You have a picture of me - pregnant with you?"

James nodded. "Dad gave it to me ages ago - I think he said it was of you at your baby shower at the Burrow. You're sitting in a big chair outside in the shade, laughing at something. It's on my dresser, isn't it?"

"It is," Anya said. "It's a really sweet picture."

Ginny smiled. "You know, I must say, that is one thing I regret the most…not having many pictures of me while I was pregnant. I was of course, completely against being photographed at all in that state during the time, but I wish I would have given in a few times."

"Katie and I did a weekly picture once James left - just so he wouldn't miss anything," Anya said with a laugh. "Katie, as you can imagine, took this job quite seriously."

"No - not Katie," Teddy teased. "Speaking of my little munchkin - how is she?"

"Alright I suppose," Anya said. "Dad says she's been having night terrors. Hopefully they find a way to stop them."

Ginny shuddered. "I still cannot believe what happened. When Draco came back to the flat and told me…I mean…I can't even believe it happened!"

Anya quirked her eyebrows as James slipped an arm around her shoulders. "At this point…nothing surprises me." She suddenly leaned forward slightly, placing her hands on the sides of her stomach, and inhaled slowly. As she exhaled, everyone at the table stared at her with concern. James reached over, putting a concerned hand right against her thigh, sliding it up underneath the hem of her sweater dress ever so slightly, and realized her tights were damp. "Anya?" he said, squeezing her thigh slightly.

She exhaled, and looked over at him, incredibly wide-eyed, and slightly terrified. "I think my water just broke."

* * *

><p>When Claire walked down the stairs into the kitchen, she stopped at the short landing. Her father's back was to her, as he was clearly doing one of his 'I need to stop and think about what I was doing' things - so deep in thought that he didn't realize anyone had come down the stairs.<p>

Not one to ever miss an opportunity to make her father shout, she smirked, took a leap, and latched herself onto Draco, wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, and kissed his cheek as he shouted.

"Goddamnit Claire!" he shouted, clapping a hand over his chest. "Are you trying to give me another fucking heart attack? Fuck!"

"How did you even know it was me?" she asked, sliding off of his back. "You didn't even look."

Draco turned and gave his daughter a look. "There is only one child that likes to randomly sneak up and/or attack me for her own personal amusement. This child, is you. And I'm too old for it."

"You aren't even forty-five yet," Claire countered. "I'll stop when you turn fifty."

"You may break a kneecap before then if you keep it up."

"Are you calling me fat?" she incredulously asked.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm calling you a leggy, seventeen year old girl who is _too old _to be assaulting her father."

"Better," Claire said, wandering over to the kitchen island. She pulled an apple out of the fruit basket and took a bite. "Though I probably won't stop."

"I'm aware it's a waste of breath at his point," Draco said. He nodded towards the stairs as he took a seat on one of the bar stools. "Where's your shadow?"

"Katie?"

"The other one."

Claire made a face. "You've noticed."

"I almost asked Granger if he moved in."

She rolled her eyes and took another bite of her apple. With her good arm, she helped push herself up enough with a jump, now sitting on the kitchen island countertop next to her dad. "I think he's having a hard time with the Grace thing - or, well, I don't think, I know, because he told me earlier."

Draco motioned for Claire to share the apple, which she did. He took a bite and returned it to Claire. "And that translates into him being here all day every day how?"

"I don't know!" Claire exclaimed. "He just moved back - he likes hanging out here. The boys love it when he's here and so does Katie. The two of them are currently passed out in a popcorn coma in my bed. I figured since Katie hasn't been sleeping well, I'd just leave her be." She took another bite, and then offered the apple back to her father, who accepted. "I see that look on your face," she added.

"I have no look," Draco informed his middle daughter.

"You have a look," Claire argued. "And I know…I mean…I've given you cause for the look, after the whole Dexter thing, but Daddy - I don't, I mean, I can't like Albus. Not like that. I'm still in school. He's going to be a _teacher_. It's…that's just weird, Daddy."

Draco swallowed the last bit of apple in his mouth. "Claire - you've been in love with Albus since you were four."

"I think that's a _bit_ exaggerated."

Sighing, Draco dragged a hand through his hair. "I'm going to tell you something that I've never said to you before. It's my favorite thing about you, and at the same time, it's the one thing about you that scares the living shit out of me." He looked back up at her and waited until he had her full and undivided attention. "You are an abnormal Malfoy."

Claire snorted. "Gee, Daddy, that was about the nicest thing you could say to me."

"You," he continued, ignoring her sarcasm. "Should not be wired with the genetics that allow you to wear your heart on your sleeve. You should not have the ability, based upon the insurmountable evidence left behind by the history of both the Malfoy and Greengrass families, to love as easily as you do - and so openly, I might add."

"And this is bad because…"

"It isn't bad," Draco said. "But, it's just - look -" he stammered, not really sure how to go about what he was about to say. "I'm not usually blunt with you. It's mostly saved for your older sister. But I'm just going to say it, and hope that you don't cry at the end of it."

Claire sat up a little bit straighter, crossing one of her legs over the other. "Go for it," she confidently replied. "After Dexter Boot and Grandfather - I can handle anything you've got."

"Sometimes I'm afraid that because you don't know how to keep people at an arms length, you are going to find yourself in a world of trouble," Draco matter-of-factly. "And I don't know how you do it, Claire, I really don't. Again - you should not be wired with this ability."

"Leo is the same way, you know, and he's a Malfoy."

"Then clearly Granger's exposure to you at such a young age has the same affect as birthing a Malfoy," Draco drawled. "But this is my point." He stood up from his bar stool so that he was right at eye level with her. "You put everything out there. You always have. You've always wanted to be liked, you've always wanted to be loved, and it's easy for you because everyone loves you. It's incredibly hard not to love you - even when your version of fun is assaulting your father."

"Assault is such a strong word," Claire joked.

"I wish I had half of your ability to just throw myself out there," Draco told Claire. "If I did - I would have married Hermione years ago. But I don't. It's not how I was raised. Your sister may look like your mother but she is wired like me. We're private people - it takes a crow bar to crack us open. And maybe we could use a little bit of you in our lives - but at the same time - you could use a little bit of us in yours, you know what I'm saying?"

Claire nodded, finishing off her apple with a final bite. "I hear you, Daddy. And to be honest, I kind of came to that conclusion the night Dexter…well…let's just say that while crying in bed, I kind of yelled at myself. I even cleaned out my closet the other day."

"I did notice your wardrobe change," Draco said. "And I am much pleased at this development."

"I thought you would be."

He leaned forward and kissed Claire on the cheek. "You're smart, Claire Bear," he said. "You're smart and you're beautiful, and I'm afraid sometimes that because you're so willing to give someone everything you have because you know no other way, you'll be taken advantage of, and then you'll get hurt."

She held up her splinted arm. "Like this?"

He nodded his head. "But worse," he said as he picked up her splinted arm. Opening her hand, he placed it right over her heart and pressed his hand into hers "You'll get hurt here, too."

Claire nodded, placing the apple core in her hand on the counter. "So…I need to be more like you, huh?"

"And I could learn to be a little more like you," Draco candidly replied.

The two stared at each other for a moment, Claire cracking a smile first, before Draco followed suit.

"Claire?"

"Yes Daddy?"

He knew he was going to regret asking the question, but he was going to do it anyway. "You said you couldn't like Albus. Does that mean you do, but you know better enough not to?"

Claire shrugged as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. "I've been in love with him since I was four, remember?"

"I was afraid of that," Draco mumbled.

"But I'm not stupid, Dad," she added. "I'm going to finish school, just like Hermione told me to, and I've decided to go to Muggle University so I can become a dentist. I talked to Grandpa about it over Christmas, and he says he will take me to where he and Grandma went to school when I come home on spring break for a formal visit. I'm going to be a dentist, Daddy - a brilliant one at that. And I don't have time to be distracted. Just like Hermione said - I need to focus on me, and getting what I want, and then…well, we'll see what happens then, won't we?"

Draco took a step back as Claire hopped off of the counter. She gave him a big hug, which he enthusiastically returned. "And Claire?"

"Yes Dad?"

He swallowed hard. "Despite the fact that the thought of having two children with the last name Potter makes me want to hex myself, do me a favor - even if you do decide to…date…Al, or anyone because it doesn't have to be Al, you know, while you're at university, it could be anyone as long as he's good enough for you - don't keep it a secret. Tell us."

Laughing, Claire gave her father a playful pat on the chest and then pecked his lips with hers. "Oh don't you worry, Daddy," she reassured him. "You know I'm terrible at keeping secrets."

"This is what I hang my hopes on with you," he teased.

"And _if_ somehow Albus Potter lands in my future," she added. "I promise you - the entire _universe_ will know."

Draco dropped his head and shook it as she laughed. "Merlin help me," he muttered.

Suddenly, a large, magnificent patronus in the shape of a horse manifested itself into the kitchen, and Ginny's voice echoed from its form. "We're at St. Mungo's - Anya's water broke at brunch. Don't panic - she's all right. They're just getting her settled into a private suite - room 3831."

"Oh my God!" Claire screeched. "I'm going to be an Aunt!"

"I'm going to be a grandfather," Draco said rather calmly. "I'm forty three and I'm going to be a grandfather."

"That's what you get for having a kid at nineteen," Claire snarked. "I'm going to go tell everyone!"

Draco nodded, taking a seat as Claire leapt up the stairs, two at a time. He dragged a hand through his hair and sighed. "Holy shit," he said to himself. "I'm going to be a grandfather."


	37. Chapter 37

**_There are literally 10 versions of this chapter on my laptop - this was the shortest (and a shorter chapter for me in general) but I really think that its the best one. I've got two chapters left..._**

* * *

><p>"Coffee?"<p>

Draco took the warmed styrofoam cup from Richard, and thanked him with a nod. Richard took a seat next to him, a coffee of his own in hand as they sat in the waiting room of St. Mungo's. Thanks to Harry and Draco's status at the Ministry, it had been designated as an area that was off limits unless you were a Malfoy or a Potter, after Teddy informed his dad that there were several nosy wizard photographers and writers from _The Daily Prophet_ camped out at the entrances.

Taking a sip, he leaned back in the waiting room chair and stared about the room. His two boys were sitting at one of the coffee tables on their knees, sorting through dozens upon dozens of chocolate frog cards. Hermione instructed them to bring something that would 'occupy' them for a bit, as babies often took their time, and so the boys decided to go through their cards to see which of them had duplicates or triplicates, and which cards they still needed to find. Leo, of course, was in charge of the documenting while Scorpius was handling the sorting.

Claire was sitting one the waiting room sofa, her legs tucked up underneath her as she buried her nose in her muggle anatomy book, writing notes in the margins with an ink pen. She was completely oblivious to the fleeting glances that Albus gave her every now and then, as he sat on the adjacent sofa with Teddy and Harry, talking about a number of things, but Draco caught every single one of them. Katie was sitting at another table with Lily and Jean, the two of them coloring pictures at Katie's request. Katie was never much for activities that fell into her age category, but since she started preschool, coloring had emerged as one of the very few, age-centric hobbies she had, and therefore encouraged whole-heartedly by everyone.

Anya, like he silently predicted, caved about an hour ago and asked for both Ginny and Hermione to come back into the room with her and James. He was hoping that they would be hearing news soon, as they'd been in the waiting room for several hours, having just eaten dinner a little bit ago.

"You look like you're thinking a lot," Richard mused with a smile. "Care to share?"

Draco shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of waiting, I guess. I feel like I'm getting antsy."

"Are you ready to be a grandparent?" Richard teased.

Draco chuckled. "I'm assuming it's easier than being an actual parent, and if that's the case, then yes."

"It's infinitely easier than being a parent," his father-in-law confirmed. "Basically, you just do what you want with them, and then at the end of the day, you get to return them." Richard took a drink of his coffee and set it down on the small table in between them. "But I'm getting the feeling that the waiting isn't the only thing on your mind."

"You and your daughter have some sort of sick sixth sense, you know?" Draco said with a snort, placing his coffee cup next to Richard's.

"So talk to me then," Richard urged. "We clearly have time on our hands."

"I don't even know if I know where to start," Draco said. Which was the truth of it. He scratched the back of his neck ruthlessly and sighed. Eleven years ago today he was in this same room, on a different floor, waiting to receive word on what he already knew in his gut the moment he apparated into the hospital lobby. "I guess…if someone had told me eleven years ago that this is where I'd end up - if this is how my life would be, I wouldn't have believed them. But this is my life, and sometimes, I look at the kids…I look at my oldest about to become a parent herself…I look at Hermione…and I just find myself feeling so happy, and then the moment I realize I'm happy, I immediately wonder if I deserve it." He let out a self deprecating laugh and shrugged. "This is usually why Hermione doesn't leave me to my own thoughts for long periods of time."

Richard smiled at Draco and gave his son-in-law a simple shake of the head. "I've always found you to be somewhat of a peculiar chap, Draco. But what I find most peculiar about you is that you have this sense that you're supposed to spend your life repenting for choices - most of which were outside your control. It's perfectly alright to accept the fact that you've paid your dues, so to speak, and are allowed to live a happy, careless, and guilt free life." He motioned to everyone sitting the room - Molly and Arthur Weasley arriving moments ago and was sitting over near Harry, visiting with him and their grandsons while they awaited the arrival of their first great-grand child. "Your family bloodline - a bloodline known for it's malice and hatred and bigotry - changed when you decided to raise your children to think the opposite. That choice allowed your daughter to date and marry someone from a family that went against everything you were raised to believe - the two families Anya and James come from vehemently fought against each other - and now the two of them are about to welcome a baby into the world that will carry both of those histories with them wherever they go. When you think about it, it's quite remarkable."

Draco nodded. "I suppose your right."

"And for you to fall in love with someone you were raised to hate…speaks volumes about your actual character as a person, and not the character that was unfortunately thrust upon you," Richard added. "You've had a hard life, Draco. You've experienced a series of unfortunate events. But at the same time, those events are few when you compare it to everything else you have."

Just then, Katie skipped over to them holding a picture in hand. "Daddy look!" she said, thrusting the piece of paper into his hands. "I drawed a picture of me - and I'm on the _moon_!"

Draco's eyes went wide with curiosity as he examined the piece of paper. "The moon, eh?" he asked. "I'm not sure you can ride a broom to the moon, Katie."

Katie rolled her eyes in a very Hermione-like way. "You have to go in a space ship, Daddy. It's the rules. I learned about them at school."

"Oh," Draco said with a serious nod. "I see. So you want to go to the moon then?"

"Maybe," Katie replied. "It's just something I'm complementing."

"Contemplating," Richard corrected with a grin. He patted a hand on his leg and Katie accepted the invitation, climbing into his lap and snuggling up to him. "You are so much like your mother, it's frightening," he said, kissing the top of her head. "You can be anything you want to be, Katherine Elizabeth."

Katie happily sighed as Richard hugged an arm around her tiny frame. "I _know_, Grandpa."

"You do?" Richard gasped. "How so?"

"Because you tell me all the time!" she exclaimed with a giggle.

Suddenly, the waiting room door burst open, and James, still gowned, pulled the paper hat off of his face with a grin as wide as the English Channel. "He's here!" he exclaimed proudly, his chest puffed as everyone cheered. "He's 3.08 kilograms, has a head full of dark black hair, and looks _exactly_ like his mother - who is exhausted, but perfectly fine as well," James added for good measure.

Letting out a huge sigh of relief that Draco didn't realize he was holding, he felt Richard clap a congratulatory hand on his shoulder. "Welcome to the club, Grandpa," Richard said with a tease.

* * *

><p>"Why are you standing out here?"<p>

Draco looked over at James, who was next to him, the two of them peering through the window of Anya's room, watching as their families were gathered around the bed, everyone taking turns holding, cooing, and ahhing over the newest addition of the family. Anya looked exhausted and elated all at the same time, her body twisted at the waist as she tiredly hung her head while Claire French braided her hair so that it would stay out of her face.

"There's too many people in there," Draco offered as a reply, his hands tucked into his pockets. "Is she doing alright?"

"She was definitely better than I thought she'd be," James honestly replied. "I mean, of course she would have Jamie on today of all days, right? That's just her luck."

Draco nodded in agreement. "I'm not opposed to having a little bit of fun added into this day of all days, personally."

"I couldn't agree with you more," James replied. "Of course, she's gotten a lot better over the years about today. She's going to be an amazing mother…and I really believe Jamie is going to fill the hole in her heart. Maybe not completely, but just enough, I reckon."

He looked over at James, taking in the sight of him as his son-in-law peeled away the hospital garb he was forced to wear over his clothes. Even though James and Anya were married, Draco still had to remind himself sometimes that just like Anya wasn't a little girl anymore, James wasn't a little boy, either. James was man in ever sense of the word, and a good one at that. "I often tease that my daughter turned out as normal as she did because of Hermione," Draco said with a small smile, watching as Hermione sat next to Anya on the bed, holding Jamie in her arms so that Katie could have a good look. "But I feel like the bulk of the credit should really go to you."

James snorted, balling up the gown in his hand and looking around before he found a trash receptacle to toss it away. "I wouldn't go that far," he said upon his quick return. "I mean, she's still mental sometimes."

"Well that's never going to go away," Draco said with a laugh. "But she's not completely mental, and I truly mean it when I say that you are probably the best thing that could have ever happened to her."

Grinning, James looked over at Draco and shrugged. "It's awfully nice of you to think so," he earnestly replied. "But in complete fairness, she's easily the best thing that ever happened to me."

"She better be," Draco said in a mock-threatening voice. He peered through the window again, and watched as Claire was now holding the baby, and once he again, he caught Albus staring at her. He wasn't the only one though, as Teddy gave Albus a thorough smack upside the head. "Please tell me I don't need to have a talk with Al," he said to James.

Laughing, James shook his head no. "Teddy threatened him last night, along with my wife. Besides, I know he's smarter than that." James watched as Albus gave Teddy a glare. "I never really thought he and Grace were going to work, and it's probably best that everything happened the way it did. But Anya told him that if he even thought about putting one toe over that line until Claire was done at University, she would personally kill him, and have me hide his body."

"It's nice to know she's comfortable volunteering you for her dirty work."

"To be fair, Anya's barely 50 kilos, so it'd be a bit difficult to drag Al's body anywhere."

"She knows she's a witch, right?" Draco asked with a chuckle. "A simple levitation charm would do the trick. Or has she completely turned into a Muggle?"

"To be honest, I couldn't really tell you the last time I saw her use her wand," James replied. "And I only use mine at work. Does it bother you?"

Draco shook his head. "Not in the slightest."

James looked through the window and caught a puzzled look from his wife, but he gave a reassuring nod, knowing exactly what she was wondering. "Are you ready to meet your grandson?" he asked Draco with a grin. "He's a pretty handsome bloke."

"I'm sure he is," Draco replied. "Give me a minute - I'll be in there."

James nodded before opening the door and walking inside, making his way straight over to Anya. Draco couldn't help but watch the two of them. They always had a way of acting like they were in their own little world, even in a room full of people. He was envious of this, though he'd never admit it out loud. It was obvious by the look on his daughter's face how blissfully happy she was, watching as she palmed her hand against James' cheek before letting him kiss her. He could only hope the rest of his children found matches that made them as happy as James made Anya.

"Daddy?"

Claire was now standing next to him, looking concerned. "Daddy, come in and meet Jamie - James was right - he looks just like YaYa."

"I'm waiting for the commotion to die down a bit," Draco said.

Claire rolled her eyes. "You have six kids, Dad - commotion is your _life_."

"I know, but I'm just…enjoying the moment, from a far."

She slipped an arm around his waist and dropped her head to his shoulder. "She looks so much like Mum," Claire said after a few silent moments. "I…I remember coming to the hospital after Scorp was born…and I remember her looking just like that. She was so happy when Scorp was born. Just like YaYa is."

Draco nodded. "She was very happy indeed."

"Do you think she was just as happy when Anya and I were born?"

He turned his head slightly so he could kiss her forehead. "She was when she was away from the watchful eyes of our parents," Draco told her. "But I was happy enough for the both of us all the time. You both were just these perfect, dainty little bundles, wide eyed, with the sweetest faces."

Claire grinned. "I always knew it was love at first sight for us."

"It was indeed," Draco replied. "You two were the first two women in my life that I instantly fell for, after all."

"You couldn't have picked two finer people, either."

"Modesty was never your strong suit, Claire."

She looked up at him, her hand finding his, and tugged him towards the door. "It's no longer a sad day, Daddy. It's a bittersweet day. So come and enjoy the sweet part - you're insides will just melt when you hold him. He's perfect - which he obviously gets from his Auntie Claire."

Knowing she would tug until he budged, Draco allowed Claire to pull him into the room. Upon entering, he could hear the fussy cries that were now turning into wails from the small bundle in Ginny's arms. Frowning, he walked over and took a look at his red-faced grandson and Ginny willingly handed him over to Draco. Propping him up against his chest, Draco glanced around the room and quickly found an empty chair. Taking a seat, he gently rubbed Jamie's back and softly shushed him, sufficiently quelling Jamie's cries into intermittent whimpers before finally settling down into a light slumber. "It's alight Jamie," Draco whispered in his ear. "Grandpa doesn't like big, loud crowds either."

* * *

><p>"How is it that you don't look any older than the day we got together?" Draco asked Hermione with complete exasperation.<p>

The two of them stood in front of the double sink vanity of their master bathroom, each at their respective sinks. Hermione grabbed her hair by the nape of her neck as she rinsed a mouthful of toothpaste out of her mouth. Shutting off the faucet, she looked over at Draco and shrugged. "I look a fair bit older than I did eleven years ago."

Draco shook his head. "No. Look at this - right here," he said, pointing to some wrinkles on his forehead. "You don't have these."

"Probably because I don't constantly furrow my brow at _life_," she teased. Shuffling her feet three steps forward, she crinkled her toes on the tops of his feet and linked her hands around his waist. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm ok," Draco said with a smile and a sigh. "Anya's alright, the baby is just brilliant…and exactly what we needed on this day."

She reached a hand up, running her fingers through his platinum blond hair that was already beginning to recede at his forehead. "I completely agree," she said. Hermione pulled herself up completely against his pajama-clad body, burying her face into his t-shirt as she inhaled the familiar and comforting scent that was Draco. He was her favorite smell in the entire world. Before the two decided to even become what they were now, on her most stressed out days, when Draco would cave and give her a hug, his scent always managed to overwhelm her senses and instantly triggered her muscles to relax. "I love you," she said, her words muffled by his shirt.

"I love you too, Granger," Draco replied, wrapping his arms up around her neck, resting his chin on top of her head. "I know I don't tell you enough, but I don't know what I'd do without you."

Hermione turned her head so that her cheek was against his chest and sighed. "I shudder to think what you'd be like, if left to your own devices," she teased.

"It wouldn't be anything good, that's for sure," Draco agreed. "Are the kids picking out a movie?"

"They should be," Hermione said, her arms dropping from his waist. Standing up on her tiptoes, she stole a kiss from him, and went to pull away before he pulled her back in. Pleasantly surprised, she wrapped her arms up around his neck and went along with it, her eyes closed as she let him deepen the kiss. Reluctantly, she pulled away, catching her breath as Draco was doing the same. "As much as I'd like to continue this -"

"Mummy! Daddy!" Katie's shout echoed throughout the house.

"That would be the reason why we can't," Hermione finished with a laugh. "But later tonight, you've got yourself a deal."

Draco smirked. "That's a deal I'm willing to take."

The two of them walked out of the bathroom hand in hand and into the bedroom, where they found Katie, her eyes red, looking incredibly pitiful in her long sleeved night dress. Hermione knelt down at the sight of her daughter, and Katie immediately ran into her arms, sniffling as Hermione stood back up. "Darling, what's wrong?" she asked with concern.

Katie lifted her head up from Hermione's shoulders and sniffled, rubbing her eyes as she looked at her mother. "I'm not…I'm not the baby anymore," she said, completely put out at the statement. "And…and I don't think I like it!"

Hermione could hardly stop the pitiful laugh that spilled from her lips as Katie buried her face into her neck. "Oh sweetheart," she said in a soothing voice, her hand caressing Katie's back. "You're still our baby," she reassured her, kissing her temple. "Isn't that right, Daddy?"

Draco waited for Katie to look up from the crook of her mother's neck before nodding in agreement. He motioned for her to come to him, and Hermione handed her over when Katie began to lean. "You are always going to be the baby of this house. And because of this, you have to promise to stay as small as you can, because Daddy is going to be so sad when you eventually grow up."

Katie wiped away a few more tears and placed her small hands on Draco's cheeks. "I'm always going to be the baby?"

"You're Mummy and Daddy's last baby," Draco promised. "But that doesn't mean we can't make room for Jamie, right? Because I think you two are going to be really good friends. After all - someone is going to have to show him how to do things, and _you_ know how to do a _lot_ of things."

Nodding, Katie sniffled a little bit. "I do know lots…because Mummy teached me."

"Mummy has definitely _taught_ you lots," Draco replied. "Now, will you please dry your tears?"

Katie nodded again, and gave Draco a big hug. Hermione could only shake her head as she walked out of the room, gathering her hair up and fastening it up into a messy bun as she ran into the boys in the hallway, Leo carrying a DVD in his hand. "What did you choose?" she asked, ruffling his thick blond hair.

"_The Wizard of Oz_," Leo announced.

"Excellent choice," Hermione replied. "Why don't you go plug it in and see if the elves won't pop us some popcorn - but make your dad's separate. He doesn't need all of that butter."

Scorpius gave Hermione a salute and caught the scowl on Draco's face. "Sucks to be you, Dad," Scorpius said with a laugh.

"You'll walk away if you know what's good for you," Draco said, trying to be serious but failing miserably as both Scorpius and Leo laughed while scampering away.

Down the hall, they found Claire walking out of her room, coming to join the party. "What's wrong with you?" Claire asked Katie.

"We're having a bit of a j-e-a-l-o-u-s-y issue with the recent events," Hermione said quietly.

Claire laughed, noticing that Katie practically looked like she was stuck to her father like those Muggle Velcro patches Hermione always liked to use when she was organizing. "Clearly…" she drawled, walking towards the back stairs. "Is someone making popcorn?"

"The boys are going to get Harby and Vexo to do it," Hermione replied.

"Hope they're making a different bowl for Dad - because I want mine _drowned _in butter."

"Don't worry - your mother already instructed them to ruin my bowl," Draco mock-groused.

"Sucks to be you," Claire said with a smirk.

"Is that where your brother learned that phrase? Because if that's the case, you can drop it from your vocabulary."

Claire rolled her eyes. "I'll have you know that Scorpius actually taught it to me."

Eventually, the six of them managed to settle down in the living room, all of them piling onto the couch in front of the telly. Katie kept herself perched on Draco's lap, and Leo sat on the other side of Draco, the three of them sharing a bland bowl of popcorn - which was how the two smaller Malfoy children preferred their popcorn, while Hermione sat next to Draco on the other side, with Scorpius sitting in between his sister and his mother, holding the holy grail of buttery goodness, as he liked to call it.

"I even remembered to bring lots of napkins so I don't get yelled at for wiping my hands on my pants!" Scorpius announced to Hermione.

She clapped a hand over her heart and smiled. "I knew you'd learn someday."

"Funny, Mum," Scorpius replied with a mouthful.

As the credits began to play, Draco rolled his eyes and leaned over to whisper in Hermione's ear. "Is this that silly Muggle movie that makes a mockery of magic by clicking those gaudy shoes?"

Hermione looked at Draco and arched an eyebrow. "Your children love this movie," she whispered back. "Don't ruin it for them, and I'll reward you later."

"You owe me big," Draco whispered back. "You know I hate this fucking movie."

"Almost as much as I hate that you, in eleven years, have yet to figure out how to put your dirty laundry in the hamper," she teased. She leaned in and pecked his lips with hers. "You're so lucky I love you," she teased, leaning into his side as he draped an arm around her shoulder.

"Believe me, I know," Draco replied as Katie leaned back against his chest, holding the popcorn on her lap.

He wasn't sure at what moment during the movie that he managed to doze off. Probably once that crazy green witch threw that incredibly fake looking fireball. That's where he usually fell asleep when forced to watch the movie. But somehow, he woke up and realized it was the middle of the night, and Hermione was curled up next to him, sound asleep as well, the two of them somehow managing to migrate their way to a more horizontal like position, his head resting on a pillow propped up against the arm of the couch. He summoned his wand from the coffee table and quietly muttered _lumos_. The clock on the wall said three in the morning, and there was a note folded on the coffee table. Summoning it, he unfolded the paper and squinted his eyes to read the words:

_Like the good daughter I am, I put the kids to bed - you two passed out before anyone found Oz. By the way - Anya told me the story once, about the moment when you two figured it out. Looks like you're right back where you started. Love you both - Claire._

Draco smirked as he folded the paper back up and tossed it back onto the table, and then quietly dropped his wand down to the floor. Hermione shifted slightly, and he reached for the blanket covering the both of them up to her shoulders. "Draco?" she mumbled.

"Shh," he said, wrapping an arm around her. "Go to sleep."

"Mmkay," she said with a content sigh. "What about…kids…"

"In bed," he mumbled, goose bumps spreading over his body at the feeling of her lips moving against the sensitive skin of his neck. "We fell asleep downstairs."

Hermione hummed in response. Cracking her eyes open slightly, she could feel herself practically on top of Draco, at least most of her, while the rest of her was pinned into the plush back of the couch they were sleeping on. Her feet were hot, so she kicked the blanket on top of them up just enough to give her feet some air. She could feel Draco silently chuckle. "What?" she murmured.

"You…and your hot feet," he mumbled back with a chuckle.

"Shut it," she muttered, and felt the arm he had wrap around her tighten slightly before relaxing. His hand found the hem of her shirt and snaked its way underneath, the tips of his fingers grazing a circular pattern in the middle of her back. She kissed his neck in response, and her hand slipped below the waistband of his flannel pajama pants, her nails scratching the base of his quickly responding erection. "Are you still tired?" she whispered, her breath hot against his ear.

"It can be quickly remedied," he replied, turning his face so his lips could fuse against hers, kissing her deeply as his hands pulled his pants down as far as they needed to go. Hermione did the same with her pants and knickers, kicking them off of her feet as the blanket continued to keep them appropriately covered. Their shirts still on, Hermione moved to straddle his waist, his erection having no trouble finding her center as she immediately found him sliding into her. "Don't make a sound," Draco whispered to her as he thrust his hips upward. "Not a sound."

Nodding, Hermione began to rotate her hips to the rhythm of his thrusts, a hand clenching a fistful of his shirt as she bit the inside of her cheek. She wanted nothing more than to moan in pleasure, but she couldn't, as they were already taking a huge risk doing this in a room that lacked any sort of privacy. She leaned over, kissing him hard in hopes to stifle the cries building in her throat as Draco grabbed her hips, stopping her movements all together as he pumped himself in and out of her at a fast and furious rate. She could feel that spot in the pit of her stomach begin to clench, begging for a release, but she wasn't ready for it to end just yet. Pulling her lips away from his, she pressed her forehead to his. "I'm almost there," she whispered. "Oh God…I'm almost there."

"Shhh," Draco replied, his hips jerking faster. His eyes rolling to the back of his head, he knew Hermione hit her edge the moment her walls turned into a vice grip around his throbbing cock, which was moments away from its release. Choking out a silent scream, his hands pushed into her hips, holding her down as his hips were stuck in an upward thrust, as far inside of her as he could go as he rode out his orgasm. Panting, his arms wrapped around Hermione as she collapsed into his chest, their bodies still connected. His hands slid up the inside of her shirt and kneaded the muscles in her back. "When was the last time we had sex in the middle of the night?" he quietly asked.

"I don't remember, but I don't know why we stopped," Hermione replied with a giggle. She propped herself a little bit and stared into his eyes. "I have no problem waking up in the middle of the night for that."

"Me neither," Draco said quietly. He pulled an arm out from under her shirt and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "I don't know what I'd ever do without you."

She kissed him soundly on the lips. "You'd be hopelessly lost," Hermione replied with a grin. "Which is why I've stuck around."

"Is that right?"

"The sex is pretty fantastic, too," she cheekily replied, pulling herself off of him as she went in search of her bottoms. Finding her pants and knickers, she quickly slipped them on and laughed at the sight of Draco's pajama pants and pooled at his ankles. "Come on, lover boy," she said, holding hands out to him. "If we sleep on this couch all night we'll never be able to move in the morning."

Groaning, he allowed Hermione to help pull him upright. Pulling up his pants, he watched Hermione fold up the blanket that was covering them and made sure the couch was clean. "Remember that night?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "That night where you and I fell asleep together for the first time in this house?"

She nodded. "It was eleven years ago and a day. It's a hard day to forget."

"Obviously, but that's not why I remember it," Draco said. "At least that part of it." He hugged her tight and kissed her shoulder. "It was a rotten night in the end, and into the next day, but those couple of hours where it was just the two of us…it was the first time I'd felt absolutely content, and that's when I knew that I loved you, and I couldn't pretend to call it something else anymore."

Hermione turned around in his arms and flashed a tired, but brilliant smile. "I felt the same way."


	38. Chapter 38

_**I know it's short – the shortest chapter I have probably ever written. But I wrote it…and I didn't want to do anything else to it. Sorry if you hate it (I'm already preparing for flames!). But if it makes you feel better...I might write an extra chapter or two to make up for it!**_

* * *

><p>It was a beautiful spring day. The backyard of the Malfoy Manor was decked out for what everyone in the wizarding world was calling the wedding of the century, with the added notation that they'd been waiting for this wedding for a decade. Rows of white chairs filled with the closest family friends of both Hermione and Draco as they waited for the bride to make her presence down the aisle. Draco stood at the end of the aisle with Teddy on his right. His attention snapped to his grandson, three-month-old Jamie who was happily sitting on his father's lap in the front row, drooling like a broken faucet as he gnawed away on his little fist.<p>

"Cute kid," Teddy said with a grin, making a silly face at his nephew.

"Of course he's cute," Draco replied, as if his grandchild could be anything else.

He was quite positive after witnessing his five children be brought into this earth that nothing would ever quite top that moment. Draco vividly remembered holding each of his children for the first time, and the overflow of emotions that wracked his brain. But when Draco was handed a swaddled up Jamie - the last of the grandparents to hold the newest addition to the family, all he could do was stare, completely dumbfounded at the sight before him. He could tell the boy was definitely a Potter, but he definitely had his and Anya's nose, and maybe, just maybe, a Malfoy chin. As he carefully sat down in the chair, holding his new grandson, he glanced over at his daughter, who was grinning from ear to ear. _How did she get so old? _he thought to himself. _Wasn't she just a little girl the other day, sticking her tongue out and rolling her eyes at the man who sat next to her? _Draco couldn't understand where the time went, or how any of them got as far as they had, with everything they'd been through. All he knew in that moment, looking back down at Jamie, was that this was the first Potter he'd ever come in contact with that instantly had his love.

Jean and Richard sat on the end of the first aisle, Richard on the end and Jean in between her husband and James. He remembered how over the moon the two of them were when they told them of their engagement back in the fall. _I'd welcome you to the family, son, but I don't think it's necessary, _Richard said to Draco when they broke the news. _I couldn't be happier though,_ he added, giving Draco a fatherly hug. _You've done the only thing I've ever wanted for my daughter - and that's making her happy_.

When the music began to play, everyone in tandem turned to look at the back of the aisle, and Draco looked up, smiling at the three girls walking towards him. Anya and Claire stood on either side of Katie, holding their little sister's hands as they made their way down the aisle, smiling brightly at their father. His older girls wore matching, strapless crinkled chiffon dresses in a pale peach color while Katie wore the same color, only she wore a short sleeved, tea length, crinkled chiffon dress that she would have been wearing for the past month since it arrived from the dressmaker, had she been allowed. _It's the…most fancy dress…ever!_ Katie exclaimed when her mother showed it to her. Katie of course wasn't a frilly, dress up kind of girl like Anya and Claire were, but she loved that dress.

Anya's hair, pulled back into a classic French twist with a pearl studded barrette holding it all in place, reminded Draco of Astoria, only she never knew how to smile like Anya's did. Claire's hair wasn't much different than she usually wore it, with the exception of a small section of her long, platinum blond curls pulled back and pinned right above her ear. She looked much older than her seventeen years, and as he caught Albus giving Claire a small smile, in which she bashfully returned, Draco knew the inevitable wasn't far behind.

"Daddy!" Katie loudly whispered as the three of them reached him. "Daddy look at my dress!"

Laughter murmured through the small crowd in front of them as Draco squatted down to her eye level, taking her hands from her sisters' and looking at her. "It's the most beautiful dress I've ever seen."

Katie shook her head. "Just wait. Mummy's is way better."

He kissed her forehead and stood up, kissing Claire's cheek, then Anya's. "You two look beautiful as well," he whispered to his older daughters.

"Katie's right," Claire replied with a smirk.

"Just wait until you see her," Anya added. "It's going to make you wish you'd have done it sooner."

"Shut it," Draco playfully retorted as the girls made their way to the 'bride' side of the aisle.

The music gracefully switched over to the classic wedding march, and as everyone stood, Draco looked down at his shoes for a moment, steeling the nerves he could feel prickling all over his body. Holding his hands in front of him, he took in a deep breath, looked up, and realized his daughters were right. Scorpius and Leo, wearing the same black suit as their father, held her hands as they walked towards him. Draco wasn't sure how Hermione kept getting better looking with age, because every time he looked in the mirror, the stress of his youth was becoming more noticeable on his face. Hermione on the other hand, didn't look forty two, her hair curled and tamed, halfway pulled up as she walked towards him in a beautiful, mermaid shaped wedding gown. A sweetheart neckline with a sheer appliqué from the neckline upward created elegant capped sleeves that buttoned at the back of her neck, revealing an open back as she made her way towards him, grinning from ear to ear. _A wedding dress really isn't necessary_, she protested a month ago. _I've already been married once. I had the dress. I don't need another one._ Her daughters, however, changed her mind, and Draco had never been more thankful, because she looked _stunning_.

He watched as she bent down and kissed both of her boys on the cheek before they walked over and stood next to their father. Reaching out with a hand, Draco grinned like a fool as Hermione willingly accepted, their fingers lacing together as the two of them, surrounded by their immediate family and friends, allowed Teddy to marry them.

"I should start," Teddy said to the Malfoy-Potter-Granger clan, "by asking if anyone objects to these two getting married. I will add, however, that if anyone decides to object, I will not be held responsible for the violent acts that may come your way, as it's taken an _eternity_ for these two to get to this point."

Everyone laughed, while Draco blushed, giving Teddy a look that Teddy did not seem to find all that threatening.

"I kid, I kid," he added, giving his cousin a good clap on the arm. "But not really - because it's been forever."

"Keep it up, and this wedding will turn into a funeral," Draco said with a playful smirk.

"Well that's much too tragic for my taste," Teddy replied. Clearing his throat, he informed the small group that had gathered that the two of them were going to exchange their own vows. "And they better be good," he added, "Because you've had forever to make them."

Giggling, Hermione looked up at Draco, now holding both of his hands, giving them a good squeeze before she spoke first. "We weren't supposed to work," she said with a smile. "Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think when I was younger that I'd be standing here with you, five children between us, happier than I've ever been. But we are standing right here, and happy isn't even an appropriate word to describe how I feel. I once told you that I didn't need to marry you. That I didn't care if we ever reached this point, because we had everything else - love, honesty, compassion - and most importantly - we're each other's best friend - and we always will be. I have every intention of growing ridiculously old with you, and not everyone is so lucky to say they have the privilege of growing old with the love of their life. I love you, Draco Malfoy, and I always will."

Draco pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Hermione, who dabbed away her tears before they ruined her eye-makeup. Once she composed herself, Draco took her hand back and looked down at her, still towering over her despite the heels she wore. "You're right," he said. "We weren't supposed to work. And to be honest…somedays, it defies explanation. I know I don't deserve your patience most days, but you give it to me without complaint. You ignore my flaws, you make my worst days infinitely better, and with you, I doubt myself less. I know I rely on you infinitely more than you rely upon me, going all the way back to when we first started becoming actual friends. You were a parent to my children long before you moved into my house, taking on what could have been an impossible task with grace. And I know I took forever to ask you to marry me, a regret I'll always have, but I've never needed a piece of paper to justify how I've felt about you, and how I will continue to feel about you. You're everything, and without you, I'm nothing."

He didn't think he'd get choked up speaking to Hermione, but he did, which was an unfamiliar sight as he ducked his head for a moment while Teddy asked for the rings. Scorpius dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out two rings - a thick, gold band and a thin, braided gold band that matched Hermione's engagement ring. Teddy handed the rings over to Draco and Hermione. "Repeat after me," he said to his aunt. "With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring…I thee wed," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Teddy gave Draco the same instructions, and with a small clearing of his throat, Draco looked Hermione right in the eye as he slid her ring down onto her left ring finger. "With this ring, I thee wed," he promised.

"Well," Teddy announced with a beaming smile. "By the power vested in me by the awesomeness that is the Muggle Internet, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Wolf whistles and cheers from the crowd echoed in the backyard of the Malfoy Mansion, as Draco dipped his bride back in the most dramatic of fashions and planted a sound kiss to her lips, much to the amusement of his new wife and the rest of the crowd.


	39. Chapter 39

_**Epilogue**_

What a difference a year made.

A year and two months, really, but it didn't matter. Draco sat with Hermione, holding hands with Katie sitting next to him as they watched Claire receive her graduation diploma from Professor McGonagall. Scorpius and Leo both let out a loud wolf whistle from the student section as her name was announced, and Katie cheered just as loud, causing Claire to blush slightly as she took her rolled up scroll from her favorite teacher. He noticed her give a small wave relatively towards his direction, and also noticed who she was waving too - Albus Potter. He bit back a laugh as Harry noticed the exchange between the two of them as well, and responded by giving his son a good wallop over the head with the graduation program in his hand, with another whack coming from Teddy for good measure. He gave up on the notion that Claire would fall for someone other than Albus Potter back at Christmastime, but the two of them had stayed true to their promise. Nothing about their relationship had been improper during this past year. Anyone who saw them conversing at school knew they'd grown up together, and considered them to be friends.

"Daddy, where's James and YaYa?" Katie asked, noticing the absence of her big sister.

"Jamie has a cold, so they're staying home today," Draco said. He was disappointed that Anya wasn't here today for her sister's graduation, and found it somewhat peculiar that Claire didn't seem put out by her sister's absence. "We'll see them back at the house for Claire's party."

Katie nodded and crawled up onto her father's lap, which was often her preferred place to sit when the option presented itself. Draco didn't mind at all. More and more he was realizing that Katie wouldn't be little forever, and so he would let her be a little girl as long as she wanted to be one. The two of them had actually been spending more time together this year, teaching her how to better control her magic. Hermione wasn't sure where to begin with this, because she didn't know at that age that what she was doing _was_ magic, but Draco had been taught how to control his magic by his parents, and with Katie's unusual gift, Draco decided to teach her earlier than he did with his other children. Professor McGonagall had heard all about Katie and her talents from Claire, Scorpius, and now Leo this past year, and had offered to assist in Katie's magical development as well, so far to even suggest that she be given a wand at nine or ten, so that she could learn how to reign in her magic well in advance before she got to Hogwarts and accidentally cast a spell without understanding the full volume of her strength.

After the ceremony, Draco carried Katie on his shoulders as he and Hermione waited in the courtyard for their children to find them. Harry and Ginny stood with them as well, with Teddy and Albus nearby, talking to other friends who were their as they had siblings graduating today as well. Leo and Scorpius found them first, both of them dressed in their house robes. Both of them were sporting similar haircuts now, short and spiked, and it was frightening how identical the two of them were becoming, their only differences now being in eye color and height. Both of them had their respective Slytherin and Gryffindor neck ties pulled down a bit now that the ceremony was over, and Katie immediately requested to be put down so that she could hug her brothers, having been without both of them this past school year.

"Katie!" Scorpius exclaimed, scooping up his sister as soon as she was done hugging Leo, laughing as she hugged him tight. "What are we going to do this summer?"

She didn't answer, as she was too busy hugging her big brother.

"I don't think she missed you at all," Draco teased Scorpius as Leo gave him a hug.

"I can tell," Scorpius said with a laugh. His voice had been getting deeper this past year, and Hermione was convinced he was sounding more and more like Draco every day. "Are we still having a party?"

Hermione nodded. "As soon as your sister finds us, we're meeting Grandma Jean and Grandpa Richard at the house. Anya and James will be there too - Jamie just wasn't feeling well this morning. He still has a cold."

Claire came bounding about a few minutes later, and nearly tackled Draco to the ground as she took a running leap at him. "I'm done!" she cheered as Draco hugged her. "Kings College, here I come!"

Draco kissed her cheek and let her go. She received her acceptance letter into the premedical program at Kings Cross back at Christmas time, and she hoped to funnel into their dental school upon graduation, just like her grandparents did. "Keep attacking me like that and your father won't be around to pay for it," he teased.

"I'm sure I can still afford it," she quipped right back.

"Your words wound me," he snarked.

"Be nice to your father," Hermione playfully minded as she gave Claire a hug and a kiss. "I'm very proud of you, sweetheart."

Claire grinned. "Thanks, Mum," she replied. Claire and Anya both started consistently referring to Hermione as "mum" right after James was born. Neither was really sure what started it, but both of them had sheepishly admitted at different times to Hermione that it was long overdue. "Where's Albus?" she asked, unzipping her graduation robe and handing it over to Hermione, as it was starting to make her sweat. She was wearing a turquoise blue dress underneath, with it's high scoop neck top and thick sleeveless straps before the dress flared out at the waist, falling to the tops of her knees. Anya had it sent to her as a graduation gift. _Saw this at Harrods, and knew it was meant for you. All my love, Anya_ was the note in the card as she tore the box open in the middle of the great hall. Anya, being the good sister that she was, even sent her a pair of heels to go with.

"He's over there," Katie said, pointing in the direction of Teddy's bright blue hair. "With Teddy."

"Hey Mum?"

"Yes Claire?"

"Can you distract Dad for a moment?"

Hermione eyed her daughter. "Why?"

But Claire didn't answer. Instead, she smirked and jogged in her heels over to Albus, tapping him on the shoulder rather insistently until he turned around. Her blond curls were pinned up into a low, side chignon, her makeup light and effortless, and while Claire had been working on her modest this year - she knew when she looked good. "Well?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

Albus looked at Claire for a moment and wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. "Well what?"

"Well what!" she exclaimed. "Are you seriously kidding me right now?"

He kept a straight face for a moment, but the corners of his lips betrayed him as he began to smile. He reached out a hand and playfully yanked her close. "You look stunning today," he said as she wrapped his arms around his neck.

"I do look pretty fantastic," she agreed with a smirk. "So when are you going to kiss me?"

"Why on earth would I kiss you?" he asked with a smug grin.

"Why on earth am I still standing here?" she asked.

"You want me to kiss you?" he asked her quietly.

She gave him a nod.

"Right now?"

"More like five seconds ago but -" she didn't get to finish her sentence, because before she knew it, the sweetest kiss she'd ever experienced was happening to her, and she never wanted it to end.

* * *

><p>"I cannot believe those two did that in front of everyone!"<p>

"Oh Draco, honestly," Hermione said with utter exasperation. "Who cares? She's not a student anymore, and you knew it was going to happen -"

"But I didn't want to see it! I didn't want to see it and I saw it and now I can't _unsee_ it!" he shrilly shrieked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "How many times have you seen Anya kiss James."

"I don't particularly care to witness that either."

She sighed, pulling out two veggie trays from the fridge to take outside where the tent was set up for the food in the backyard for the party. It was really just a gathering of family, but it was a beautiful day outside and in England, beautiful days were taken advantage of to the fullest extent. "Claire is an adult. She's going to go to college. She gets the same rules that Anya did."

Draco clicked his tongue. "I don't know about that."

"They get the same rules," Hermione reiterated. "You can't give different rules to the girls, Draco, and you know that. Doing that will click the sleeper genes your child has of yours into overdrive and she will defy everything you ask of her. She's going to university. She has a smart head on her shoulders, which she has proven time and time again in the past year and a half. If she and Albus choose to be together, then we will allow it because Albus Potter is a good man." She could see Draco's jaw was clenched, knowing full well that was a sign of no retreat. Putting the veggie trays down on the table, she walked over to him and stood up on her tiptoes to give her husband a kiss. "She isn't six anymore," Hermione softly spoke.

"Which is a goddamn shame if you ask me," Draco muttered.

Hermione laughed. "Oh sweetheart. It'll be ok. You still have Katie."

He sighed. "She's almost five…she's getting big."

"She's your baby," Hermione reminded him. "And she, just like the other girls, and the boys, will always need you."

He dragged a hand through his hair. "I know you're right…"

"And Albus loves her," Hermione added for good measure. "You can see it in the way he looks at her. It's the same way James looks at Anya. It's real, it's genuine, and it's exactly what I've been telling her to wait for." She walked over and grabbed the veggie trays and handed them to her husband. "Now put on your happy face - because it's a happy day - and take this outside please. My mother is waiting for them."

Draco gave his wife a nod and leaned over the trays to give her another kiss. "Anything else you'd like me to do?"

"Not yet," she replied with a wink."

"Not yet," Draco playfully mocked as he walked out the back door. "You're such a slave driver."

"You can't force the willing, darling," she teased.

He was greeted by Ginny at the backdoor, thanking her for holding it open while he walked outside and she walked inside. "Can I help with anything?" she asked Hermione.

Hermione shook her head no. "Draco's taking out the last of the food, and so we're just waiting for James and Anya to get here. How's it going out there?"

"The kids seem to be having a good time," Ginny said. "It was a good idea, inviting some of their friends over too."

Hermione nodded. "Seamus and Susan's little boy, Mickey, is just a doll. He and Leo have become good friends this year. Thankfully, he doesn't have his father's same penchant for causing destruction by way of untimely explosions."

"I'm sure that was a relief for McGonagall, too," Ginny said with a laugh. She walked over to the fridge to get a bottle of water and grabbed one for Hermione too. "You know that abandoned magical baby everyone's been talking about in the newspaper?"

Hermione nodded. It had been a hot topic in the wizarding world all week. A baby witch had been born to two unsuspecting muggles, and because the magical baby registry didn't have a name, it set off an alert to the law enforcement office, and the abandoned baby was confirmed by a muggle police officer in London, who was also a squib. Hermione had a firm belief that for as much flack as squibs received, their world really wouldn't survive without them. They were the necessary link, the informants between the wizarding and muggle world, and for that she had been nagging Harry for years to pass some legislation or laws that would help eliminate the blatant ostracization of these particular citizens. "Draco mentioned that they've been sending flyers out all week pleading for a wizarding family to adopt her. Did you see her picture in the _Prophet_? Such a sweet face."

"My heart is just broken about it," Ginny said. "I just can't imagine having a baby and just abandoning it."

"I know, Hermione agreed. "But everyone has different circumstances. I just hope for her sake she's taken into a good home."

"Harry's been following it closely," Ginny said. "He thinks an adoption imminent. He would know better than all of us what happens when you're taken into a home where you aren't wanted."

Hermione nodded emphatically. "Absolutely."

* * *

><p>It had been a whirlwind 48 hours for James and Anya, but the chaos and secrecy had been well worth it as they watched the little girl, snugly swaddled in a pink blanket, sleeping in the bassinet in their room. When James heard about the abandoned baby earlier that day at work, he was casually speaking to Anya about it that night at dinner while she was eating and keeping an eye on James as he used his spoon to feed himself some applesauce.<p>

"_So she's all alone!" Anya exclaimed in horror. _

"_An orphanage has her right now, one that's run by a group of nuns, but yeah, she's all alone," James said with a perturb sigh. "She's only a week or so old." _

_Anya picked up her glass, but couldn't make herself take a drink. "James…I don't…how could someone just leave a baby?" _

"_I don't know, love," he replied. "But it's been bothering me all day."_

"_Yum!" James interjected, swallowing a mouthful of applesauce. "Mum! Yum!" _

_Anya smiled at Jamie, reaching over to ruffle his head full of shaggy black hair. "Mummy loves you so much," she said. "Do you want more applesauce?" _

"_No!" he said, but nodded as he handed her the bowl. He hadn't mastered "yes" yet, but instead would nod and say no, which always made everyone laugh. When he meant no, everyone knew it. _

_She walked over into the kitchen and spooned a couple of dollops into his bowl from the applesauce jar and walked it back over to James, placing it on his high chair tray. Anya looked over at James, who seemed to be deep in thought. "James?" she asked before taking a bite of her garlic bread. _

"_We could turn the other room into a nursery," he said in response. "It wouldn't be hard. That room is already a nice pale pink color, so we would just need to go get another furniture set." _

_Anya's heart skipped a beat. "James Sirius Potter - you better not be joking." _

"_We have the means, we have the space," he began to rattle off. "Jamie's eighteen months, so they'd be close in age…" _

_She jumped out of her chair and walked over to her husband, kissing him soundly on the lips. "Are you certain about this?" she asked, pulling away just a bit. _

_James nodded. "I've been thinking about it all day, and thinking about my dad, when he was younger and how he grew up, and I think we could do it. But what about you? What are you thinking" _

"_I was ready to take her in the moment you mentioned her," she confessed. "What do we need to do?" _

"_Let me talk to Dad," he said. "You take care of getting stuff, and I'll take care of getting her, ok?" _

_Anya kissed him again. "Ok." _

Plucking her carefully from the crib, Anya cuddled her new daughter close and kissed the top of her curly, dark brown head of hair. Her skin was almost as pale as her fathers, but they had taken their daughter to Jamie's muggle pediatrician and after a thorough checkup, the doctor deemed the little girl to be in perfect health. With the muggle adoption process, it would be several months before the adoption was final, but James and Anya knew that the Ministry would do what they needed to do with the Muggle agency to expedite the process.

Anya carefully walked with her daughter out of the nursery she quickly put together with a ballet theme, and it was darling. James, using his name, asked Professor McGonagall to borrow Claire last night for an hour or two so that she could meet the reason why they would be missing her graduation, and Professor McGonagall agreed without hesitation. She too, seemed relieved that the baby everyone had been talking about would be in a proper home. When Claire apparated with James back to their flat, completely confused at what was happening, she all but melted at the sight of Jamie cuddled up next to Anya, watching as she fed the little girl with the bottle.

"_We're not going to make it to graduation tomorrow," Anya said with a small smile. "We don't want the publicity. Everyone will figure it out soon enough. We're going to tell everyone tomorrow at your party, if you don't mind." _

_Claire nodded enthusiastically, practically skipping towards her sister. She picked up Jamie and placed him on her lap, hugging him as she peered over at the little girl. "I can't believe you two adopted her!" she quietly exclaimed. _

"_It was the right thing to do," Anya said, just as quietly as she removed the bottle from her mouth, watching as her daughter as she dozed off to sleep. "And Jamie already loves her. He was a very big help today. Maybe even too helpful at times," she added with a little laugh. _

_Claire kissed Jamie's cheek, and laughed as he giggled. "Of course he was a very big help." She reached a hand out and touched her little foot that was hanging over top of Anya's cradled arms. "What's her name?" _

"_Well," James said, sitting down on the other side of Claire, holding his hands out to Jamie as he willingly crawled over to his father. "We were going to name this one here Amelia Jean if he had been a girl." _

"_I like Amelia," Claire interjected. "Do you think she looks like an Amelia?" _

_Anya nodded, brushing a light touch of her hand over her tiny, brown curls. "I think she definitely looks like an Amelia." _

_Claire held her hands out slightly. "Can I hold her?" _

_Anya smiled, and carefully passed the sleeping baby over to Claire, who cradled her close. "Isn't she beautiful?"_

"_She is gorgeous," Claire replied, slipping one of her fingers into her new niece's tiny grasp. "You're such a sweet little thing, Amelia Jean Malfoy Potter. Auntie Claire loves you so much already." _

"_So you're ok if we don't make it to graduation?" Anya asked._

_Claire gave her sister and James a mischievous look. "That depends. Who knows?" _

"_No one," James replied. "Dad might have an inkling, because I had to get some logistics from him…but no one knows officially." _

_Grinning, Claire leaned down and kissed Amelia's hand. "Well in that case, I guess it'll be ok." _

"Mum!"

Anya smiled at Jamie as she walked into the living room. He was showing off his toy dragons. "Rawr!" he exclaimed with glee as he made them smash into each other.

"How ferocious!" Anya exclaimed quietly as she looked around for James. "Where's Daddy?"

"Right here," James replied, carrying two different bags. One of them had all of Jamie's necessary things and the other bag held all of Amelia's. "I had to think for a second what all to pack in Millie's bag, but I think I got it all."

She looked at her husband with a bemused smile. "Millie?"

"That's my new nickname for her," James stated as if it were obvious. "And I personally think she looks like a Millie, and…yeah. That's what Daddy is going to call her. We have a Jamie and a Millie - it all goes together, you see."

Anya walked over to the car seat perched on top of the table and carefully placed the sleeping baby inside of it, carefully buckling her in so they could start loading everyone up in the car. "Did you hear that?" she asked her daughter. "Daddy thinks you should be called Millie…and he might be right. You kind of look like a Millie."

"Me-ee!" Jamie exclaimed, pointing at his sister. "Dad! Me-ee!"

James laughed. "That's right, buddy, her name's Millie," he said, scooping Jamie up, blowing raspberries on his belly as the little boy giggled. "Jamie's a go on Millie too."

Anya grinned as she looked over her shoulder. "Well I guess if the council has spoken, it must happen."

"Good," James replied with a laugh. He handed James over to his wife and tossed both bag straps across his body, then went to grab the car seat Millie continued to sleep in . "You ready to go surprise the hell out of our parents? We should probably get out of that habit, now that I think about it,"

"Yes to both," she said with a laugh. "And don't swear in front of the children."

"Yes, dear."

The ride out to the Malfoy home was quiet and uneventful. Millie woke up about halfway there, but had enough toys and a mirror dangling from the handle of her car seat to keep her thoughtfully occupied. Jamie passed out five minutes into the ride, and Anya followed suit soon after, leaving James to his thoughts as they drove through the English countryside. He was so glad that he and Anya had been on the same wavelength when it came to their new daughter. James had wanted to go down to the orphanage the moment he heard about the abandoned baby, and had only hoped Anya would have the same intuition. James assumed he would, based on the person she'd become since Jamie's birth. Jamie managed to do in an instant what James had spent most of his life trying to do - which was to eliminate the anxiety and burden she'd carried on her shoulders about not being enough. He understood his wife knew she had an irrational way of thinking. A world class ballerina, a loving wife with a husband that adored her, but still feeling that way, but it had to do with her mother and no matter how hard Anya tried to get over it, Anya couldn't seem to crawl over the hump. But James noticed the moment Jamie was put into her arms that she looked like the weight of the world had been eliminated from her chest. It was if she had become a whole new person. Being a mother suited Anya, and if James had to bear a guess, gave her an understanding about motherhood that she didn't have before, allowing her to finally make peace with how everything happened with Astoria.

As he turned left onto the road that lead out to the mansion, James looked over at his wife, watching as she stirred, and glanced up into the rearview mirror to check on his kids.

"Hmm…almost there," Anya mumbled as she carefully rubbed the sleep from her eyes, not wanting to smear what makeup she was wearing. "Kids ok?" she asked, turning around to check.

"Jamie's been passed out, Millie woke up a little bit ago, but she's just looking around," James said, stealing a glance at Millie again through the rearview mirror. "I'm really glad we adopted her, YaYa."

She reached a hand over and placed it on his thigh, giving it a squeeze. "I am too. The moment those nuns let me hold her…I just knew I wasn't letting go."

"I know," he replied. "I felt it too." James pulled into the driveway of the Malfoy mansion and pulled around the brick circle drive, parking right in front of the main entrance. He noticed Jamie stirring through the mirror as the car shut off. The two parents unbuckled and climbed out of the car to retrieve their children. "I'll get Millie," he said, knowing he was going to be carrying her inside with her still in the car seat.

"Alright, Anya replied, walking around the front of the car as Jamie sat behind the driver's seat. Opening up the backdoor of the SUV they owned, she popped the buckles of Jamie's car seat and pulled her sleepy boy out of the car. "Are you ready to see everyone?" she asked in an excited, but hushed voice as Jamie held his arms out for her to pick him up.

"Papa's?" Jamie asked, pointing at the house.

Anya grinned. Much to her father's dismay, he had been overruled on being called Grandpa, because it was too hard for Jamie to say. He had no problem, however, saying Pa or Papa, and somehow Jamie had decided that her father would be Papa and Harry would be Pa. He said Ga for Grandpa Richard, just like Scorpius, Leo, and Katie did when they were little, and Grandma Jean decided that her great grandchildren could call her Nana. Ginny was Jamie's GiGi, and Hermione was Jamie's Gamma. "We're at Papa's house," Anya said, acknowledging Jamie's identification as she shifted him onto her hip. "Can Mummy have kisses?" she asked.

Jamie smiled, and leaned in to kiss Anya's lips. "Wuv mummy," Jamie said, placing his still tired head on her shoulder.

"Mummy loves you too, buddy," Anya replied.

"Me-ee? Where Me-ee?"

"Daddy has Millie," Anya said, endeared by Jamie's concern as to his sister's whereabouts. He definitely had his father's attentiveness, and could always tell when someone wasn't feeling their best. "Let's go show everyone your new sister, ok?"

Jamie nodded, and Anya pulled a tissue from her pocket to wipe his snotty nose. He was getting his two-year molars a little bit early, and it has his nose running on overdrive. She wasn't sure she remembered a life where she didn't have tissue in a pocket, but she definitely didn't mind it. Walking into the house, they happened to catch Claire jogging down the main staircase, dressed a bit more casually.

"Care!" Jamie squealed, and Claire immediately plucked her nephew out of her sister's arms. "Hi!"

"I'm so excited you guys are here!" Claire replied, kissing Jamie. "Does anyone else know you're here?"

Anya shook her head. "Actually - could you go get the grownups and ask them to come inside? I figure we can tell everyone else after they know."

Claire nodded, and disappeared with Jamie on her hip, while James walked into the living room, placing the car seat on top of the coffee table. He unbuckled Millie out of her seat and carefully pulled her out, pulling down her white dress with black, green, and pink polka dots on it so that it covered her pink ruffled diaper cover. She had a pink bow clipped in her hair, and wore a little pink cardigan over her dress as it had no sleeves. Still wide-awake, she had her little head resting against James' chest as she suckled on her little fist.

Anya stood next to James, a hand on Millie's back as she smiled at the baby. "You ready to meet the masses?" she asked. "Even if you aren't, you have no choice…you're stuck with us."

"That's for sure," James agreed with a smile. They heard the mumblings of the adults and the shuffling of footsteps. James turned Millie around, holding her in the crook of his arm as if she were sitting in an arm chair, with his proud 'new dad' grin on his face, while Anya stood on his other side, an arm wrapped around his waist. "Surprise!" James gently exclaimed to the shocked looks of their elders.

"You did it," Harry said, speaking in a proud voice. "You two were the ones!"

James nodded. "We haven't submitted the paperwork yet - we didn't want the chaos - at least for the first couple of days. Being related to you has some perks - did you know?"

Harry laughed. "Just a few."

Jean and Richard were only a little bit confused, but Harry and Draco filled them in while Ginny and Hermione instantly wept tears of joy as they cooed over the newest addition to their family. "She's so beautiful!" Hermione gushed. "We were just talking about her too, weren't we Ginny?"

"We were," she confirmed. "I didn't even know you two were interested in adoption."

"We didn't either," James said. "But we talked about it and we instantly knew we had a place for her if they let us have her. We took her to Jamie's doctor, he said she's perfectly fine, and in a few months, once the muggle agency processes all the paperwork, she'll be an official Potter."

"A Malfoy Potter," Anya corrected with a teasing glare. She wasn't going to use her last name in Jamie's name initially, but when the official birth certificate was presented in front of her, she couldn't bear the thought of her child not having her family name as well, so with a dip of the quill in the inkwell, she gracefully wrote out James Richard Malfoy Potter onto his birth certificate, placing both Richard and Malfoy on the_ Middle Name_ line, and James approved.

"What's her name?" Draco asked as Ginny handed him his newest grandchild.

"Amelia Jean Malfoy Potter," James boastfully recited. "And we're going to call her Millie for short."

"Well, she is just beautiful," Jean commented, walking over to give James and Anya a hug and a kiss. "She will be so lucky to have parents like you."

Anya kissed Jean's cheek and smiled. "Thanks, Grandma."

"So what does young Jamie think of his little sister?" Richard asked as he gave James a congratulatory handshake.

"We've had her for what, two days now?" James asked Anya, who nodded in agreement. "And he's curious, but in a good way. He likes helping, and tells us 'shhhh!' when he thinks she's sleeping. And she's a content little thing…is hardly fussy, and almost reminds me of how Mum used to talk about Al when he was a baby - calling him a watcher."

Ginny fondly smiled. "He was a watcher. Always looking, trying to figure out what was happening."

"He's a good big brother," Anya reaffirmed.

"I'm sure he is," Hermione said. She looked over at Draco, then at Harry, who seemed to be waiting for a turn. "Draco, let Harry hold her."

"I don't think I will," Draco said rather haughtily, snuggling Millie close. "You saw what his son did today to my daughter."

"Oh sweet Jesus," Hermione said with a sigh.

"What happened?" Anya asked.

"Your brother-in-law kissed Claire in front of everyone after graduation," Ginny replied with a smirk.

James pumped a fist into the air, but quickly retracted it as he saw the disapproving look on Draco's face. "I'm just excited that Teddy owes me money," James said. "He thought he'd at least make it to the party."

"You were going to be my favorite son-in-law," Draco warned as he reluctantly handed the baby over to Harry.

James laughed. "I'm your only son-in-law."

"For the moment."

"Dad!" Anya exclaimed. "Be nice!" She walked over to her father and opened up her arms to give him a hug. She knew this was one of those days where he was feeling old, despite not being that old, and that he just wanted a little bit of sympathy. Hugging him tight, she felt him kiss her cheek. "So what do you think?" she asked, pulling back slightly as she kept her arms around his waist. "Do you think she has what it takes to be one of us?"

Draco nodded. "Absolutely."

* * *

><p>Millie had been a hit at the party, and everyone instantly fell in love with the little girl. She had been passed around from grandparent to grandparent, from uncle to aunt, and as the afternoon drifted off into the evening, she was tucked away into the crook of her father's arm, suckling away at a bottle while James fed her and carried on a conversation with Teddy, Harry, and Draco like an old pro. Anya found herself sitting on a large bench swing in the backyard, with a sleepy Jamie draped across her like a sack of potatoes. She saw Hermione across the way, carrying an exhausted Katie in a similar fashion, her body limp as she'd run out of energy and was now asleep with her head on Hermione's shoulder.<p>

"Mind if I join?" Hermione asked.

"Not at all," Any replied, rubbing a soothing hand against Jamie's back as he snoozed. She leaned back into the swing, her heels rocking the four of them back and forth ever so slightly. "They wear out so quickly," she remarked with a chuckle.

"That's what a long day and a lot of sugar will do," Hermione replied with a light laugh. "This one was up at five-thirty this morning, just a little bit excited to go to Hogwarts today."

Anya smiled. "I can imagine Dad was thrilled."

"He got over it," Hermione replied. "She crawled into bed with us, and the two of them watched cartoons for a bit before passing out again. I barely notice the early morning cartoons at this point."

She nodded, brushing a hand over Jamie's hair. "James does that with Jamie on the weekends. I wake up, and the two of them are already up, watching cartoons, cereal all over the place…but I have him all week, and so James gets up with him and lets me sleep. I used to get up, but James doesn't like it," she said with a laugh. "It's Daddy and Jamie time, apparently. He thinks Jamie likes me best."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm certain he loves you both equally."

"He does, but he's a mummy's boy for certain," she said with a smirk. "Like this for example," she said, motioning to her exhausted son. "He doesn't want Daddy when he's like this. It's all Mummy."

"Unlike this one, who will fall asleep on whoever is holding her," Hermione remarked. "She actually passed out on Teddy this evening." She pressed a kiss to Katie's temple and relaxed into the swing. "Her healer thinks that because we've been working with her magic, and trying to teach her how to keep control of it because of her power, that it's causing her to still wear out easily."

"How is she doing with that?"

"Amazingly well," Hermione said. "Her power, Anya, is just short of amazing."

Anya shifted James on her lap slightly, moving his head to her other shoulder so she could cool off the other one. "Ginny keeps asking me if Jamie's showed signs of magic yet, and he hasn't, but I'm sure he will. Usually magic manifests with frustration and anger in little ones, and he's just so laid back, I mean, at the rate he's going we might not know if he has magic until his letter comes."

Hermione giggled quietly. "I'm sure he'll surprise us all when we're least expecting it, just like Katie did."

Anya looked over at her sister and reached out to push a stray curl away from her face. "Last night, I was rocking Millie in her room, and I was staring at her, watching her sleep, and I just felt my heart growing and breaking all at the same time and that's when I heard Dad in the back of my head." She hugged Jamie closer and pressed her nose to the top of his head, inhaling the sent of his lavender baby shampoo she was so fond of. "He used to say all the time that my mother was doing the best she could, and I never understood it. I didn't accept the answer, because to me, she was my mother, and she should have been a mother instead of what she was before the end of it all."

Hermione could see where this was headed, but nodded in understanding.

"But some people can do it and some people just really can't," Anya said in a sad, but matter of fact sort of tone. "I told James the moment that nun handed Millie to me - I knew she was mine. I knew she was my daughter, and I instantly loved her just like I love this sleepy head here. There's no difference between the two. And her mother didn't want to, or maybe couldn't, but it's just like my mother - she could but she couldn't - and that eventually turned into wouldn't until it was too late to go back, and none of that was my fault - or Claire's fault. It wouldn't have mattered if Scorpius had been born first. None of it was going to matter. She was who she was."

"This is very true," Hermione remarked.

"And…as embarrassingly as this is to admit…" Anya said, tucking her long black locks behind her ears. "I didn't understand you at first. You loved us from the moment Dad asked you to watch us when it was just Claire and I and I didn't understand how you could hug us and kiss us and tell us you loved us as easy and as freely as you do and I thought I understood it when I had Jamie, but two days ago, I realized I had no clue until I looked at Millie. But then I realized that I was able to hold her and to instantly fall in love with her because of you."

Hermione sighed, reaching a hand over to cup Anya's cheek, brushing away a tear that had escaped from her daughter's eye. "I'm sure your dad had a little bit to do with it too."

"No," Anya said with a laugh and a shake of her head. "Dad taught me many things, but you taught me how to be a mother. You taught me how to be a mother before you became my mother, and every day after, and it's because of you that I'm just so irritatingly happy all the time!"

Hermione had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from bursting out with laughter as Anya suppressed her own laughter, wiping the tears that fell freely from her eyes. The two drew the attention of their spouses, who excused themselves from the gathering of men and shuffled their way over to the women. "What's so funny?" James asked.

"Nothing," the two of them said in tandem, only to giggle again.

Draco and James exchanged a look and a shrug. "Do you want me to take Katie inside?" Draco asked.

"Please," Hermione replied.

"Anya, the boys want to know if we'll spend the night tonight," James asked Anya.

"Do we have pajamas for the kids?"

James nodded. "I had a feeling it would come up."

"It's fine then," Anya replied with a smile.

"Draco, put Katie in Claire's room. We can put Jamie in Katie's room and pull the bassinet out of the storage room and put it in Anya's room," Hermione instructed with a smile.

Draco picked Katie up, shaking his head at how dead to the world she was, and cradled her in his arms. "And if we put her in Claire's room, where will Claire be sleeping?"

Hermione gave him a look. "You and I both know you're incredibly smart and asking a really dumb question. She is going out with her friends tonight and will probably go back to Albus' place."

His nostrils flared slightly. "I don't like this, Hermione."

"I'm aware," Hermione replied as she stood up from the bench. She grabbed her hands towards Mille and James willingly handed his daughter over to her. "Well look at you, the only little one that's awake," she cooed, kissing her little nose. "Nana needs your help for a moment. Yes - yes she does."

"Hermione where are you going?" James asked with a laugh. He saw her walking over towards Claire and Albus, currently snogging behind a tree, and laughed again. "This ought to be good."

"You two lovebirds!" Hermione called out to Albus and Claire, startling them slightly as they both had some decency to blush. "Come here for a moment please."

Hand in hand, Albus walked with Claire over to where Hermione stood in the middle in the yard. "Yes, Aunt Hermione," Albus said.

Sweetly, Hermione motioned for them to come closer to her. "Isn't Millie adorable?" she gushed. "I mean, look at her little feet, and her little toes, and her sweet little bow and her _precious little face!_"

Claire grinned. "She is super cute, Mum. She gets it from her Auntie Claire."

"I'm sure she does," Hermione said, indulging her daughter's remarks. "Claire, how long do you think you'll be in university?"

Clare, slightly confused, shrugged as she answered. "I don't know, seven years I think. Four years with undergrad, and then three years of dental school. Why?"

Hermione handed her granddaughter over to Claire, who eagerly accepted her as Hermione took a step closer to the two of them. "I think it's brilliant that you two are together. I can't thank you both enough for respecting our wishes in keeping a lid on it until you were done with school, Claire. And I know you two are eager to explore whatever this is and as adults I won't tell you what to do but hear me when I say this - you two are smart people. Show up with a baby before you're finished with university, and there will not be a witness protection program to save either of you."

Claire swallowed hard and Albus shivered slightly, neither of them ever having been at the end of a talk quite like that. "Mum, we're not stupid -"

"I know you aren't," Hermione reiterated. "That's why I said you two are _smart_ people. And I fully know you have no intention of sleeping in the house tonight, or much of this summer if we're being honest, which is why I want you to hear me _now_ or fear your father _later_. Understood?"

"Understood," the two lovebirds chimed, as Hermione took Millie back from Claire.

Walking back over to her stunned husband, she gave him a look. "Do you feel better?" she asked Draco.

He gave a simple nod. "Yes…frightened a bit, but yes…I feel better."

"Good," she definitively replied.

* * *

><p>Once the party was over, Albus and Claire discretely disapparated from her home to his flat in Hogsmeade, landing hand in hand inside Albus' living room. Neither could really tell if the silence between them was awkward or not, but having it be the first time that Claire had seen the inside of his apartment, Albus caught himself holding his breath almost, as if he was waiting for some sort of approval. He watched Claire look around the small, two bedroom flat, poking her head into each room, the skirt of her dress flaring slightly with each pivot of her foot.<p>

He sat down on the arm of his leather sofa and watched as she looked over at the bookcase that his telly sat on top of. "Katie would be so proud to know I've actually got books in there," he said. "Don't you think?"

Claire giggled. "Most definitely." She walked over to where he sat, standing right in front of him, leaning the tops of her legs ever so slightly into his knees. "Thanks for coming to my party," she said a little bit shyly.

Albus smiled. "Where else would I have been?"

"I don't know," she said, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "I mean, I know, but you know…"

"Are you nervous?"

"Why would I be nervous?"

"Because you look terrified," Albus replied, reaching out to grab her hands. "You don't have to stay here tonight if you don't want to. I put your bag that you gave me at school in my room, but if you want to go home I won't be upset."

Claire shook her head quickly. "I want to stay," she said. "I just…I don't know."

"What don't you know, princess?" he asked, using her universal pet name for anyone who had known her since birth.

She shrugged. "I guess this all just feels foreign to me. Not in a bad way, you know, but, um, you know, I just…now we're on the other side of this thing."

"This thing?"

Claire blushed. "You know…you and me."

Albus stood up from his perch and gave her a gigantic hug, which she returned with equal vigor. As he let her go, he gave her the sweetest grin and found her hands with his, grabbing onto them as their fingers laced together. "I don't want to screw this up," he told her. "I never thought in a million years you and I would be together, and I know that if we go down this road there's no turning back, but I don't want to rush anything."

"Do you mean that?" Claire asked, a bit timidly. "Because I know you're right. There's no turning back if we try this…I just don't want you to get tired of me."

"Tired of you?" Albus asked with a chuckle. "You could never fit the mold of boring, Claire."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't mean dull - I mean - well - I don't have the same experiences as you," she finished off with an embarrassed blush.

He leaned and gave her a light kiss, his lips barely brushing against hers. "You know what I want to do tonight?"

Claire made a face. "What?"

"I want us to put on our pajamas, plug in a movie, and sit on this couch any way we want, without being terrified that someone's going to see us," Albus earnestly replied. "I might even kiss you once or twice, just because I can."

She arched a playful eyebrow. "Just because you can?"

"Are you really going to tell me no?"

"I'm pretty unpredictable, Albus," she shamelessly teased. "Half the time I surprise myself with what I'm thinking, or what I'm about to do or not do."

He stifled a snort. "Believe me, Claire, I'm aware."

He pulled her down to his bedroom, and grabbed his pajamas so he could go change in the bathroom. When he returned, he found her standing there in nothing but one of his old Slytherin quidditch shirts and a short pair of black shorts barley visible as the shirt she wore was too big. "Shirt snake," he teased.

"Actually, your mum gave me this almost three years ago," Claire said with a sassy hand on her hip. "After that water fight we had at your house."

Albus remembered that day. "You had on a pink dress -"

"That went _completely see through_ when you and Scorpius launched those balloons at me," Claire replied with a little bit of irritation. "That's when your mom came outside and gave me this shirt to put over my dress."

"But you didn't give it back."

"You obviously didn't miss it."

"I'm just saying…you're a shirt snake."

"And I'm just saying maybe I will go back home tonight."

Albus feigned a look of hurt and horror as he shuffled towards her. "You won't leave me."

"Eh…you're probably right."

He laughed and she smirked. "Movie?"

She nodded, and let him take her by the hand out of the bedroom, leading her down the short hallway over to the couch. She sat down, tucking her legs up underneath her while he popped in a movie and went over to the kitchen to pop some buttered popcorn. When he returned, he sat down at the end of the couch and balanced the bowl on the couch arm while Claire grabbed the throw blanket from the back of the couch and curled up next to Albus, using his chest as a pillow. She grabbed the bowl and placed it in the gap between Albus' leg and the arm of the couch so that she could reach as well. When she recognized the opening credits to be that of one of her favorite romantic comedies, she sat up a bit and looked at Albus. "You hate this movie."

"I know."

"So why are we watching it?"

He shrugged. "Because it's your graduation day, and you like it, and I figured the other day I could probably suffer through pretty much anything as long as you're next to me."

His words were plain but true, and Claire could hear the honesty in his voice. She leaned in and kissed him, holding a splayed hand against his face as he returned the sentiment. "Albus Potter," she mumbled against his lips. "You keep this up and I might fall just in love with you."

Albus smirked, and kissed her again. "Good," he said after a few moments. "Because I might already halfway there."

* * *

><p>Draco heard the cries of his granddaughter around three in the morning. He and Hermione offered to put the baby in their room before they turned in for the night so Anya and James could catch some sleep, which they were much appreciative of, despite the convincing it took on both Hermione and Draco's part to get them to agree. Tossing the covers off of his bed, he got up and approached the baby, gently picking her up out of the bassinet and cuddling her close. He summoned Harby the elf to heat up a bottle for her as he walked downstairs, and by the time he reached the couch and sat down, Harby had returned to Draco with a warm bottle ready for Millie.<p>

"There you go," he said to a fussy Millie, whose cries evaporated as soon as the bottle nipple found its way into her mouth. He admired the little girl as she ate, letting one of her little hands hold onto his index finger while she ate. She was a beautiful baby. She had the sweetest dark brown curls, and the biggest, most curious looking eyes - which was saying a lot considering he had Katie - and she always looked like she was trying to figure out something.

He didn't hear Hermione come down the stairs halfway through Millie's bottle, but he felt her sit down next to him, kissing his shoulder through the t-shirt he wore. "How is she?"

"Perfect," Draco replied softly. "Just perfect."

Hermione hummed in agreement as she continued to lean against them. "Sometimes, I feel like I should say thank you to you."

Draco looked over at his wife. "What on earth for?"

"For this life," she confessed. "So many things I'd never thought I'd be, and then you happened, and suddenly, I got everything I wanted, even if it wasn't in the way I ever imagined it."

Seeing that the bottle was now empty, Draco pulled it away from Millie and propped her up on his shoulder, attempting to get the sleepy baby to burp before putting her back to bed. "You did the same thing for me, Granger."

"I guess," Hermione said, kissing his shoulder again. "Can you believe they adopted this sweet baby?"

"Actually, I can," Draco replied with a soft laugh. "James has always had a big heart, and Anya, well, you've rubbed off on her more than she realizes some days."

Hermione reflected back on the conversation the two of them had on the swing. "She's a wonderful mother."

"Because she had a wonderful example," Draco replied. "You raised my daughters into something I never could have done on my own, and you did the same thing for my son, and now our children. I tell you all the time - I would have been lost without you."

"You would have figured it out."

"And I'm eternally grateful that I didn't have to," he said.

Once he got Millie to burp, he kissed her tiny temple and hugged her close as he climbed up off of the couch, holding her with one strong arm as he held a hand out to Hermione to help pull her up. She let him lead her back upstairs, their fingers barely linked together as they walked up the stairs. They checked in on Scorpius, who was passed out on his stomach with a book laying next to him. Leo was found the same way only he had a large book open and laying on top of his chest, which Hermione gently removed before kissing him lightly on his head. Katie was sound asleep in Claire's room, clutching Scorpius' Mr. Bear in one arm and her blanket in the other arm. Inside Katie's room, Jamie was half on top of his stuffed dragon, sucking his thumb as he slept. Across the hall, James and Anya were wrapped up around each other, a tangled mess of arms and legs, leaving both Hermione and Draco to wonder how the two of them ever got any sleep, because it didn't look comfortable. But that wasn't the first time Hermione and Draco had seen the two of them asleep that way, and it clearly didn't bother the two if they continued to sleep as if they were velcroed together.

Hermione slipped back into bed once they got to their room, watching Draco as he gently placed a sleeping Millie back into her bassinet. When he returned to bed, she curled up next to him, nuzzling at his chest as he kissed the top of her head. Draco leaned up slightly to grab their blankets and pulled them up to Hermione's shoulder and sighed a breath of contentment.

"What are you thinking?" she asked quietly as her eyes began to close.

He kissed the top of her head again. "Sometimes I think I need to pinch myself…when I remember the life I had, and knowing what I know have."

She nodded against his chest, her eyes closed. "You've come a long way. I never would have taken you for such a cuddler at school."

He suppressed a laugh so he wouldn't wake up Millie. "I don't think there was really anything warm and fuzzy about me back then. It kind of just happened when Anya was born. Sometimes, she was the best medicine to a truly rubbish day. Babies have some sort of magic about them that I don't understand."

Hermione smiled. "It's not magic. It's their innocence, and that they know nothing of the world around them. They're untarnished and perfect."

Draco agreed, and hugged Hermione closer. "Hermione?" he asked a few minute later.

"Yes?" she mumbled.

"Do you think Claire's happy?"

Hermione nodded. "I do. She still…has a lot of growing up to do," she said in between a yawn. "But she'll get there, and Albus will wait for her."

"Do you think the fates decided that my punishment for my former life would be that I would have daughters that would fall in love with Potter's boys?" Draco asked.

Hermione laughed slightly. "I hardly think it's a punishment. I think it's a sigh of relief. They're both good boys that were raised into fine men. It's a shame they don't have a son for Katie."

Draco scoffed. "Katie's never getting married. She already promised me."

"Anya made that same promise…at five," Hermione reminded him through another yawn. "So did Claire."

"Katie's different," Draco proclaimed quietly. "She's not a traitor like the other two. She's too much like you. She'll keep a promise better than those two."

"You're just setting yourself up for disappointment," Hermione softly said with a chuckle. "Besides, if Anya hadn't married James, we wouldn't have Jamie _or_ Millie. Can you imagine a life without them?"

Draco sighed. "No..which is crazy because we haven't even known Millie for twenty-four hours yet."

"So you see - everything works out for a reason," she said, giving him a squeeze with her arms that were wrapped around his torso. "Life has a funny way of working out sometimes."

"Would you change any of it?" he asked, almost hesitantly.

"Change what, sweetheart?"

"Our lives. How everything…happened. Do you wish it would have been different?"

"Not at all," she promised. "Astoria's request might have pushed us in the right direction, but you are the catalyst for all the good things in my life, and without you, I would have nothing."

Draco sighed again, agreeing with his wife. He went to say something, but heard the creak of their bedroom door open. Both of them sat up a bit, and saw a sleepy Katie, holding her blanky and Mr. Bear, staring at them with an exhausted look about her. "I woke up in Claire's room…and I'm really confused and really tired."

Hermione pressed her index finger to her lips and pointed over to the bassinet, while Draco opened up their blankets as an open invitation that Katie didn't think twice about taking. He leaned over and hoisted her up into the bed, dropping her right in the space between them. Katie curled up against Hermione, and Draco rolled over so that he could drape an arm over both of them. He looked over at Hermione, who was already falling asleep as Katie cuddled against her, and smiled.

He wasn't sure when he'd ever see Astoria again, but whether it be in a random dream or in the afterlife, he made a mental note to tell her thanks, because while he'd like to think he'd have figured it out eventually, it was ultimately her unspoken blessing through a simple request that changed his life, and the lives of the children he and Astoria shared, for the better.

* * *

><p><em><strong>This is the end...and I cannot thank all of you readers enough! Your commentsreviews were wonderful, and your enthusiasm for the story was just overwhelming. It's nice to know that you all get just as much enjoyment out of reading the story as I do writing it. **_

**_Now...I'm off to fix/finish up the third installment of the IAU universe (which I'm sure a lot of you are like 'it's about )(*# )$ time - but I'm going to try to make it worth the wait!)_**

**_See you soon! -Redhead414_**


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